KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has reiterated its stand that the South China Sea should remain accesible to all ships despite the claims that have been made by China on disputed territories.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it was more important for ships to pass through the South China Sea freely than for China to lay claims on the major sea route.
“The Chinese lay claim on the South China Sea by virtue of its name. But at the moment, ships can pass through the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea.
“The sea is the main communication line, so China wants to make sure the sea is free for its own trade to carry on. I don’t think they want to stop other ships from passing through, and I think Malaysia can live with that,” Dr Mahathir said in an interview with the Mekong Review quarterly magazine’s latest issue in October.
Following his official visit to China in August, Dr Mahathir had told the ThaiPBS television network that it was not wise for Asean countries to adopt a confrontational stand against China when it came to the latter’s claim on the South China Sea.
He said that said Asean nations could protest against the claim but the superpower could easily disregard it.
Dr Mahathir said at the time that Malaysia was taking a slightly different attitude in the dispute as it will use diplomatic means to negotiate with China.
China’s claims on islands and maritime territories in the South China Sea involve several sovereign states such as Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.