On July 15, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein responded to a National Audit Department’s report that Chinese ships encroached into Malaysian waters 89 times between 2016 and 2019 by saying this was no longer an issue. ― Picture by Miera Zulyana
“The government is completely downplaying any Chinese assertiveness. They need the investment, trade, and now Covid-19 assistance,” Zachary Abuza, a Southeast Asian security expert at the Washington-based National War College, was quoted as saying. This led to a scathing response from former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman who said Hishammuddin was either “in denial or ignorant” about the encroachment.According to Institute of Strategic and International Studies senior analyst Shahriman Lockman, Malaysia’s tact was not recognition of China’s claim on its territory and he noted that it has consistently contested such claims, including through a note verbale to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
Shahriman also suggested that Vietnam, yet another contesting country, was confrontational towards China in the issue because the two countries have had bloody conflicts in the past.