Malaysia ready to negotiate with Beijing over South China Sea: PM

Malayasian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday (April 3) that the country was ready to negotiate with China over maritime dispute in the South China Sea. His comments came after a report by a think tank that Chinese boats were patrolling close to Malaysian offshore gas project.

The issue was raised between Anwar and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China last week as Malaysia has energy exploration projects in the area, Anwar said at an address on Monday at the prime minister's department.

Anwar did not specify which dispute or which area of the South China Sea.

"In that area there is a similar claim from China. I said (to them) that as a small country that needs oil and gas resources, we have to continue. But if the condition is that there must be negotiation, then we are ready to negotiate," Anwar said, without elaborating.

China claims almost entirety of South China Sea citing ancient facts. In doing so, it has waded into dispute into other countries who have coastlines on South China Sea. About USD 3 trillions worth of ship-borne trade passes through South China Sea annually

China claims about 90% of the South China Sea via a U-shaped "nine-dash line" on its maps that cuts through the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of five Southeast Asian countries.

An international arbitration ruled in 2016 that the line was invalid. But Beijing does not recognise the ruling.

Malaysian state oil company Petronas operates oil and gas fields in the South China Sea within Malaysia's EEZ and has in recent years had several encounters with Chinese vessels.

Those include a month-long standoff between a Chinese survey ship and an oil exploration vessel contracted by Petronas in 2020, which China had said was conducting normal activities.

The U.S. think tank, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), in a report last week said a Chinese coast guard vessel was for the past month operating near Petronas' Kasawari gas development off Malaysia's Sarawak state, and came as close as 1.5 miles of the project. A Malaysian navy ship was in the area at the same time, AMTI said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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