Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has pushed back against Beijing, saying his country will continue its oil and gas exploration projects in the South China Sea.
Beijing had demanded that Malaysia immediately stop its oil and gas exploration in waters near Luconia Shoals, which is located about 62 miles from Malaysia’s Sarawak state and 1,200 miles from China’s Hainan Island.
Under the UNCLOS, to which China is a signatory, countries have jurisdiction over natural resources within 200 nautical miles (230 miles) of their coastlines.
Both Malaysia and China claim sovereignty over the shoal. Malaysia refers to it as “Gugusan Beting Raja Jarum,” while Beijing calls it “Nankang Ansha” and “Beikang Ansha.”
He said the exploration projects were never intended to be intentionally provocative or unnecessarily hostile towards China, with which Malaysia maintains a good relationship.
“China is a great friend, but of course we have to operate in our waters and secure economic advantage, including drilling for oil in our territory,” Anwar said in a televised press conference.
Anwar said his government will stand firm in its stance while remaining open to dialogue with Beijing. He said this was not the first time that Malaysia had received a protest note from China.
“They know our position ... They have claimed that we are infringing on their territory. That is not the case. We say no, it is our territory,” he said. “But if they continue with the dispute, then okay, we will have to listen and they will have to listen.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not yet issued any statement in response to Anwar’s remarks.
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry has launched an internal investigation into the leak of Beijing’s diplomatic note, calling it a “breach of classified information.”
![Buildings and structures are seen on the artificial island built by China in Mischief Reef, Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F06%2F30%2Fid5677814-GettyImages-1436862740-LSedit-600x400.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Beijing has asserted territorial claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including reefs and islands that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
An international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines following legal action taken by the country in 2016, invalidating much of China’s claims in the region. But China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has refused to recognize the ruling and continued to exercise its claims.
The revised map showcases China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea, with an additional dash to the east of self-ruled Taiwan. It also includes China’s land claims to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin in the Himalayan border. India, Malaysia, Brunei, Nepal, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia have rejected the new map.