Malaysia to send protest note to China over map laying claim to our waters

Malaysia will send a letter of objection to China after it published a new map of the country that includes Malaysia-claimed waters off Sabah and Sarawak.

Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said the protest note was a further action to be taken and was Malaysia's standard practice in any dispute.

"Wisma Putra has issued a statement (yesterday) and we will submit a protest note because that has become our practice.

"So, based on the statement we have already made, we will take further action including sending a protest note," Zambry (above) told Berita Harian after attending the National Day 2023 celebration today.

In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry said it does not recognise China’s maritime claims as laid out in the 2023 edition of the Standard China Map published by China’s Natural Resources Ministry on Monday.

“As highlighted by the Malaysian government with regards to the South China Sea issue before this, including the issue of maritime borders, Malaysia has consistently rejected claims of sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction by any foreign power on our country’s maritime features or territories, in accordance with the New Malaysia Map 1979,” it said.

It added that the South China Sea dispute is a complex and delicate issue that needs to be handled peacefully and rationally through dialogue and negotiations.

This should be done in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS).

UNCLOS

UNCLOS is a set of laws on conduct at sea. Among others, it recognises several types of maritime territory that coastal nations are entitled to. Both Malaysia and China have ratified UNCLOS.

For instance, it says countries have full sovereignty for up to 12 nautical miles (22km) from their coastline (ie its territorial waters), and exclusive use of natural resources up to 200 nautical miles (370km) from the coastline.

Despite this, China has made claims on large swathes of the South China Sea that overlap with territories claimed by various Southeast Asian nations.

It also regularly patrols waters around Laconia Shoals claimed by Malaysia, which is about 100km off the coast of Sarawak and is near Malaysian oil and gas operations.

The Foreign Ministry said it is committed to ensure all parties would perform a comprehensive and effective implementation of the “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea”.

It also said Malaysia remains committed to effective and substantive negotiations on the “Code of Conduct in the South China Sea”, and that the negotiations are concluded as soon as possible. - Mkini