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Bintulu naval base to enhance South China Sea surveillance

KUALA LUMPUR: The Region 4 Naval Headquarters (Mawilla 4) in Bintulu, Sarawak, will further strengthen Malaysia's borders amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea.

It will be the navy's sixth main naval base when completed in 2030 with three bases in West Malaysia and another two in Sabah.

It will take up 200 acres in Samalaju (on the Samalaju Industrial Park land) in northern Bintulu with construction expected to be done in two phases since the project's confirmation in 2013.

With three new littoral mission ships, the base will enhance surveillance in the South China Sea's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), allowing the navy to deploy ships more quickly.

Analysts, who spoke to CNA, said that while the naval base is close to the disputed waters in the region, the government does not see it altering China-Malaysia ties "as long as it continues to keep a "non-megaphone" approach to the dispute."

"The naval base and potentially increased Malaysian maritime presence in the area may come across as a nuisance to Beijing, but that's just it," Dr Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies was quoted saying.

"End of the day, it's the political demeanour in Kuala Lumpur, not what's happening on the ground with Malaysia's naval buildup in Borneo, that seems to be the key determinant in overall relationship with Beijing."

Malaysia, he added, is unlikely to adopt more aggressive responses to Chinese vessel incursions, given its overarching aim to maintain its low-key approach to the maritime territorial claims and preserve its lucrative economic ties with Beijing.

Analysts suggest that China, already entangled in disputes with the Philippines in strategic waterways to the north, will likely aim to maintain stable relations with Malaysia, hoping to isolate Manila from other Southeast Asian claimant states.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that a country holds exclusive rights to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources in its EEZ, defined as waters extending up to 200 nautical miles (370km) immediately offshore.

Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) includes areas rich in oil and gas, which contribute nearly 25 per cent to the GDP.

These areas encompass the Luconia Shoals, known locally as Beting Patinggi Ali and Beting Raja Jarum, a cluster of mostly submerged reefs located 155km off the coast of Sarawak, near several Malaysian oil and gas sites.

Besides China, Malaysia and the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

Previously, Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industries, and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah called on the federal government to strengthen the state's naval presence, citing concerns over China's actions and the severe economic risks of losing such a vital area to foreign control.

"China has grown more powerful, with a strong naval fleet, and they are becoming increasingly vocal and aggressive in extending their maritime boundaries by displaying their assets in these waters," he told Berita Harian.

"Malaysia's wealth in oil and gas lies there. What will happen if the sovereignty of that area is eroded by the expansion of maritime boundaries by a superpower?"

Defence Minister Khaled Nordin said in August that the Defence Ministry was in the final stages of negotiating the premium land price with the Sarawak state government for the construction of the Bintulu naval base in Sarawak.

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