China open to dialogue with Malaysia on South China Sea, says foreign ministry

CHINA would like to work with Malaysia to handle differences in the South China Sea through dialogue and consultation in an appropriate manner, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday (Apr 4).

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said earlier on Tuesday that he had told the Chinese government that an exploration project by state energy firm Petronas in the South China Sea was within Malaysian waters, in a reference to an overlapping claim in the area by Beijing.

“China safeguards legitimate rights and interests in the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, responding to a question about Malaysia’s warning of a protest note if there were “collisions” between Malaysian and Chinese vessels in the area.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which about US$3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually. Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have some overlapping claims.

Petronas operates oil and gas fields within Malaysia’s 322 km exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and has in recent years had several encounters with Chinese vessels.

China was worried that “Petronas has carried out a major activity at an area that is also claimed by China,” Anwar said, responding to a parliamentary question about his discussions on the South China Sea during his visit to China last week.

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But Malaysia is open for negotiations “if China feels this is their right”, Anwar said, adding the Association of South-east Asian Nations bloc feels that overlapping claims should be resolved by negotiations. REUTERS