PUTRAJAYA – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim returned home in high spirits from his maiden visit to Beijing last week, where he amassed a whopping $39 billion in funds. new investment A pledge from the Asian superpower.
With these agreements in hand, Mr. Anwar described Mr. Xi Jinping as “a visionary who not only changed China’s course, but also who had a vision that extended beyond China to the rest of the world, and who gave a ray of hope to the world and humanity.” “He’s an enlightened person,” he said passionately. Both the region and the world. ”
But when Malaysian leaders returned home, they encountered a growing political opposition, especially around accusations that they were selling out national interests to China in the disputed South China Sea.
Although Mr. Anwar has taken an uncompromising position regarding his country’s territorial claims in the disputed waters, caused anger After hinting at the possibility of joint energy exploration in the disputed waters, a certain opposition faction said, “If China feels this is its right, Malaysia will be open to negotiations.”
Opposition leader and former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin responded by accusing him of “potentially intimidating” his successor.[ing] Anwar was ostensibly referring to “areas within Malaysian territory,” and therefore “national sovereignty.” [that] China cannot negotiate or make demands. ”
Muhyiddin, chairman of the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional Party (PN), called on the incumbent to be “tougher” in defending Malaysia’s sovereignty and territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea.
Anwar’s camp responded in kind by accusing the former prime minister of being bossy and misinterpreting the incumbent prime minister’s statements on the issue.
Anwar Ally and Outspoken Member of parliament is implicitly said Opposition leaders were either “bodo” (unintelligent) or pretending to be “bodo” on complex geopolitical issues. Anwar himself also challenged the opposition on the issue, claiming that his remarks were taken out of context.
The fierce battle over the South China Sea dispute reflects a marked shift in Malaysian domestic politics as China expands its footprint in neighboring waters.
Maritime disputes have been a central theme of fruitful bilateral relations for as long as recent memory.
Malaysia was one of the first regional states to normalize relations with Maoist China, and historicallyquiet diplomacyRegarding bilateral maritime disputes.
At times, the Southeast Asian country has even acted like a proxy for China in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), openly criticizing Western military alliances in the region.
When the Australia-UK-United States (AUKUS) Submarine Agreement was first announced, Malaysia not only criticized the new agreement as “destabilizing” but also stressed the “need to obtain national views”. [Chinese] Leadership, especially the defense of China [officials]about what they think about AUKUS and what their actions might be.
There is no doubt that money influences how Malaysia is viewed. China is Malaysia’s largest trading and investment partner.
Last year, bilateral trade reached a historic high. 203 billion dollars, China has consistently Major trading partners of Southeast Asian countries For the past 14 years.
The strategic partnership between Malaysia and China reached its peak under Najib Razak, whose tumultuous twilight years saw him increasingly dependent on the Asian superpower’s size and strategic patronage. Became.
Under President Najib’s watch, Malaysia has come to the forefront of China’s emerging Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Southeast Asia.
Bilateral relations were briefly reset after Mahathir Mohamad returned to power in 2018, but the fiery nonagenarian leader has gradually regained his footing. retract his previous grievances He criticized China over the alleged “Chinese debt trap” after securing concessions from the Chinese government on several big-ticket Belt and Road-related infrastructure projects.
Mr Anwar, Mr Najib’s sworn enemy and former Mr Mahathir, is behind China’s new major investment plans in Malaysia, including an $18 billion project by China’s Rongsheng Petrochemical at a refining facility in the southern state of Johor. I’ve been proud of it.
“The total investment secured from China is 170.07 billion ringgit ($38 billion)This is the highest investment amount Malaysia has ever achieved,” Anwar said in a parliamentary speech after returning from a four-day trip to China last week.
“[Chinese] Premier Li Qiang and I decided not to accept the other nine proposals because they did not include a concrete plan or a deadline to start work this year, or at least by the end of the year.What we decide is monitored [our] Underscoring the government’s emphasis on “quality” investments, he added.
However, while economic ties between the two countries remain strong, the days of strategic acquiescence over the South China Sea are long gone.
End of 2019, Malaysia It has been submitted It has filed a new extended continental shelf claim with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to directly challenge China’s claims to the southwestern part of the South China Sea.
Shortly after, then Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah was fired The Chinese government’s extensive claims in the region are “ridiculous” and have “no legal basis,” he said, going so far as to say: threaten international arbitration The dispute is similar to a complaint filed in The Hague by neighboring Philippines.
A few months later, Malaysia Conflict between the three navies China and Vietnam have agreed to carry out unilateral energy exploration activities led by state-owned Petronas in the northwestern waters of the country, particularly in the ND1 and ND2 blocks, which are included in the Malaysia-Vietnam Joint Development Area (JDA). We are cooperating with both China and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has also begun to push back against the Chinese coast guard. In front of you It cuts across the coast of Sarawak and the disputed Spratly Islands, some of which are controlled by Putrajaya.
The following year, Malaysia elected a new prime minister. Ismail Sabri Yacoubsubmitted 4 paragraphs verbal warning It expressed its “protest against the presence and activities of Chinese vessels, including survey vessels, in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone off the coasts of Sabah and Sarawak” to the Chinese ambassador.
The Southeast Asian country publicly accused the Chinese government of violations
“Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone Act 1984 and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.”
Ismail made it clear that Putrajaya would not compromise on the issue of “sovereignty” in the disputed waters.Earlier that year, Malaysia be publicly accused It said the Chinese warplanes had violated “Malaysia’s airspace and sovereignty” and warned that “entering friendly diplomatic relations with any country does not mean jeopardizing national security.”
Amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, the Malaysian Defense Force has sent an unmistakable message to Beijing by stepping up military cooperation with the US government. 2021, Malaysia I participated The US-led Southeast Asia Cooperation Training (SEACAT) exercise aims to strengthen and “sustain” interoperability.[ing] International law and norms. ”
The Malaysian Air Force was also deployed in the same year. Conduct large-scale joint training Along with the U.S.S. theodore roosevelt An aircraft carrier strike group during a high-profile exercise in the South China Sea.
While successive Malaysian prime ministers have taken a tougher stance on the South China Sea, Prime Minister Anwar’s willingness to pursue joint energy exploration in waters the country claims has understandably sparked a firestorm. Ta.
“This statement is reckless and should never be made by a prime minister. The indirect meaning of this statement is an indirect recognition of China’s claims to territory that is already Malaysian territory and must be defended.” the prime minister said. Muhyiddin said on Facebook. last week.
“In fact, the Petronas region that the prime minister mentioned is within Malaysian territory and cannot be negotiated even if China claims it,” he added, adding that Malaysian energy giants’ unilateral exploration in the southwestern part of the South China Sea mentioned the activity. , China and Vietnam also have territorial claims.
Amid growing nationalist fervor over the issue, opposition leaders said Mr. Anwar “appears to be very weak, very irresponsible, and pledging the country’s dignity and sovereignty to foreign powers.” vehemently criticized.
Further complicating matters, Malaysia has announced that the Chinese Coast Guard vessel CCG 5901 has been stationed at the Putrajaya-controlled Luconia Shoal since mid-February, according to the strategic center’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI). This means that there is a conflict with China over the country’s presence. and the International Studies Think Tank (CSIS) in Washington.
Keen to defend his nationalist credentials, Anwar hit back at his critics, repeated an uncompromising attitude Position on maritime disputes: “We said we would completely stop oil exploration projects[in the South China Sea]and continue. We did not say there would be a give-and-take[with China].”
Previously, Anwar also revealed during his speech The government told parliament it would “continue to monitor China’s presence in waters claimed by Malaysia and protest any conflicts.”
Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on Twitter. @Richeydarian
