TANJUNG MALIM: The armed forces must be ready to face any potential scenario following China's warning for Malaysia to stop oil and gas exploration activities in the South China Sea waters.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said his ministry was waiting for the results of the investigation into the information leak involving a Diplomatic Note from China to the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing dated Feb 18.
"The authenticity of the letter has yet to be confirmed, but we do not deny that there are overlapping claims (in the South China Sea), and we are always observing what is happening between China and the Philippines.
"We cannot rule out the possibility that we need to be prepared for any situation," he said.
He said this after attending the Defence Minister Executive Lecture Programme with the Reserve Officer Training Unit Officer Cadets at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) today.
Also present were Army chief General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, acting Royal Malaysian Navy chief Vice-Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain, and Royal Malaysian Air Force deputy chief Lieutenant-General Datuk Seri Muhamad Norazlan Aris.
Khaled was responding to questions regarding the leaked Chinese diplomatic note, as reported by foreign media.
Earlier, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that an internal investigation into the leaked information was underway.