Malaysians react to China’s warning to stop activities in oil-rich waters near Sarawak

MALAYSIA: Malaysia and China have strong economic and diplomatic ties, but this did not stop the second-biggest economy in the world from issuing a warning for Malaysia to stay out of waters near Sarawak.

These waters are rich in oil, as pointed out by Malaysia Now in a Sept 3 report.

China, which has laid historical claim to nearly the entirety of the South China Sea, reportedly sent a protest note to the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing.

It said Malaysia had encroached on waters where China claims sovereignty and mentioned Beijing’s “serious concern” and “strong dissatisfaction” with oil and gas exploration activities from Malaysia at the Luconia Reefs, known to Malaysians as Gugusan Beting Raja Jarum.

The reefs are part of the Spratly Islands, where Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have overlapping claims. Furthermore, the Luconia reefs, just 100km from Sarawak, are nearly 2,000 km from China.

The protest note was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) on Aug 29. PDI said that the note had been shared by a Malaysian journalist who requested anonymity.

“The Chinese side, once again, urges the Malaysian side to genuinely respect the territorial sovereignty and maritime interests of China [and] immediately stop the above-mentioned activity,” the note, issued by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, read.

Malaysia, however, has exercised sovereignty over Luconia Shoals since 1963. By 1974, Petronas, the state-owned energy company, was allowed to explore and produce oil and gas in the area.

China’s claims of over 90 per cent of the South China Sea outlined in a national map showing its “nine-dash line” (now ten) which upset Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, among other Southeast Asian countries, as they also claim the waters that are the closest to their coasts.

In 2016, an international tribunal ruled that China has no basis for the territorial claims on the map, which Beijing has continued to ignore.

When Malaysia Now’s article was shared on Reddit, many commenters expressed disapproval of China’s actions. One even posted a map of Sarawak to show how much nearer it is to Malaysia than to China.

Another likened China to the seagulls in the movie “Finding Nemo,” who were known for continuously saying “mine, mine, mine.”

“With all China’s bogus territory claims, they are pretty much just pointing to a picture of SE Asia and saying ‘we own that,’” a Reddit user observed.

A commenter wrote that China’s claims in the South China Sea are “the national equivalent of a kid complaining that ‘it has my name on it’.”

Another called it a case of “Chinese colonialism.” /TISG

Read also: Malaysia summons Chinese envoy to protest South China Sea incursion

Featured image: Depositphotos