A Study On The Review And Response Strategies To Malaysian’s South China Sea Policies

The South China Sea issue emerged in the late 1960s.It concerned five countries and six parties,namely,China,Vietnam,Philippine,Malaysia,Brunei and Taiwan,China.Seen from the perspective of sea demarcation,it concerned six countries and seven parties because Indonesia claimed jurisdiction of sea in the southwest of Nansha Islands.A mounting number of oil and gas reserve in South China Sea is being discovered,making the South China Sea issue a complicated one.The core of the issue is the sovereignty of Nansha Islands and the demarcation of South China Sea.The disputes between relevant parties are about the development of oil and gas resources in South China Sea.As a whole regional organization,ASEAN began to participate South China Sea affairs about in the early 1990s.In recent years,America’s pivot to Asia strategy and the participation of Japan,India,Australia and other countries have made the South China issue no longer a regional one any more.The energy development and shipping course security gradually became hot spot issues that drew attention of the international community as a whole.In such a geopolitical environment,Vietnam and Philippine triggered disturbances frequently and made the situations tense from time to time.Malaysia experienced four governments since 1980s.Compared with Vietnam and Philippine,all of the four consecutive governments adhered to the core principle of obtaining economic interests and safeguarding regional peace in South China Sea.They took a calm and practical stance in South China Sea disputes.In the late 1970s,Malaysia proposed its claim based on the so-called continental shelf and exclusive economic zone theories.The focus of Malaysia’s claims on South China Sea have shifted from oil and gas discovery and development to island occupation and construction,and then to claiming and strengthening sovereignty.By doing so,it gradually enhanced and expanded its economic and military existence in this area.For a long time,based on the economic interests and regional security considerations,Malaysia has been pursuing practical South China Sea policies,trying not to trigger military conflicts and safeguarding its vested interest in this area through political and diplomatic measures.Seen from the general landscape,Malaysia occupied five islands in the southeast part of Nansha Islands and obtained the largest number of profit from oil and gas development in this area.But China and Malaysia enjoy good relationship.Cooperation between the two countries in economy,trade and culture are better than that between China and other ASEAN countries.Since 2014,China strengthened the safeguard of its rights in South China Sea and conducted large-scale construction on some islands,which amplified Malaysia’s concerns and vigilance over China.But the situation is positive and controllable between China and Malaysia with the common efforts made by the two governments over the last year.Although South China Sea disputes are not the top priority in Malaysia and China relationship,it is unavoidable in bilateral relations.This issue is complicated and important for the two countries in making diplomatic policies.It will have impact on how Malaysia will understand and judge the emergence of China.Therefore,it is an important issue that challenges the traditional friendship and wisdom of leaders of our two countries.In the recent two years,Chinese government has been initiating to address South China Sea disputes with a dual-track thinking.But it’s difficult to find solutions among relevant parties.Among ASEAN claimant countries,Malaysia has a status of special importance as China manages to address this issue.It is a vital power to balance our South China Sea strategy.Facing the disputes with a restrained and low-key manner is the consensus of China and Malaysia and an important foundation to address disputes through cooperation.Besides,safeguarding the peace and stability in South China Sea has always been the core stance of Malaysia’s policies on this issue.Therefore,it is very likely that the two countries can strengthen consensus and deepen cooperation.It is feasible and foreseeable that the South China Sea disputes between China and Malaysia can be addressed.Therefore,we can take Malaysia as a sally point and promote the establishment of bilateral settlement mechanism.This will set an example for the solution of South China Sea disputes.In terms of the solutions,the two countries can conduct joint development of oil and gas,joint protection of maritime environment,cooperation and development of fishery resources and port construction,academic cooperation,defense cooperation and bilateral security cooperation.