Malaysia to continue oil, gas exploration in South China Sea despite Beijing's objections: Anwar

Malaysian state energy firm Petronas will continue its oil and gas exploration activities in the South China Sea. Opposition lawmakers had sought clarifications from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, after a leaked note reportedly showed Beijing asking Malaysia to halt its oil and gas exploration in the Kasawari gas field. Discovered in 2011, the Kasawari field is about 200km off the coast of Sarawak, not far from the disputed Luconia Shoals. Its estimated to contain 3.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Mr Anwar said Kasawari is located within Malaysia's exclusive economic zone. Melissa Goh reports.

[JoyLeal-urqr]

Why china object it's not their territory to interfere oil exploration of malaysia

[ArabicReja]

Malaysia has lots of oil reserve in the South China Sea within its EEZ.
But China 🇨🇳 doesn't let Malaysia explore.
Anwar said he has no problem with China.

It's stunning that China thinks they can just demand that Malaysia cease oil exploration in their own territory.

[jamesu]

In 1947, when ROC added 11-dash line to the map, the southernmost dash was added to include James Shoal (曾母暗沙) as part of Chinese territory.
The irony was ROC never visited the feature and even made a translation mistake when copying the Western maps.
An even greater irony was that when People Republic of China (PRC, today mainland China communist government) took over, it inherited the map but dropped two dashes near Vietnam given that northern Vietnam was a fellow communist regime. However, the remaining nine dashes on the PRC map was again different from ROC map in terms of the dash positions and lengths. Superimposing the 11-dash and 9-dash maps one would find them to be quite different.
Besides the PRC has also never officially explained the meaning of blank spaces in between dashes, which span distances of about 100km to 300km.
If a nation’s boundary could be easily changed at will, it suggests that the 9-dash map is merely a bargaining chip to advance PRC’s negotiation position in the future.

[jamesu]

As UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) only came into effect in 1982, some Chinese netizens mistaken that the ROC’s eleven-dash line map proclaimed in 1947 was above international laws.
Actually a set of international laws and customary laws have been in existence long before the eleven-dash line map. The predecessor of UNCLOS is the Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea.
As early as 1928, the Permanent Court of Arbitrations (PCA) has already made its ruling over the sovereignty of the Island of Palmas involving Netherland against USA.
The claim that 9-dash line map predates or is above international laws is simply not true.

[jamesu]

On the other hand, the Malaysian’s oil and gas exploration is well backed by international laws. Malaysia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
According to clauses 55 to 57, Malaysia enjoys Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles from its baseline, which at minimum can be counted from its shore (might be extended further based on the drawing of continental shaft).
Unlike China, Malaysia does not need to demonstrate the rightful ownership of various rocks in the sea in order to legally exploit natural resources within its EEZ.

[hitthedeck]

Interesting times. Can't wait to see how Beijing will respond. Indonesia should follow suit with its Natuna oil exploration and drilling.

[paulsteaven]

Rare occasion of Anwar standing up against China.

[jamesu]

Another common misunderstanding by the Chinese netizens is that Malaysia, which only gains independence in 1963, has no right over the 11-dash map proclaimed in 1947 which registered no objection from neighboring countries.
There are several counter arguments against this assertion. First, international practices recognize that post-colonial states can rightfully inherit the power and benefits from the earlier colonial governments. For example, when in 2008 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled the sovereignty of Pedra Branca (Batu Puteh 白礁) in Singapore’s favor over Malaysia, it acknowledged the past efforts of British colonial government in Singapore in administering Pedra Branca.
Other international ruling precedence can also be found that show a newly independent nation is not disadvantaged by its colonial past. Obviously such legal precedence is unknown to many Chinese citizens.

[jamesu]

Chinese netizen often cited the fact that ROC claimed South China Sea islands using rented US navy warships in 1946. This was used as the evidence that US consented to the 1947 11-dash line map published by ROC.
However, no diplomatic documents or international treaties have been found to support the notion that US consented to the claim. It could also be argued that the warships were lent to ROC as part of its civil war effort against the communist China.

Besides, in 1951 San Francisco Treaty signed by 51 countries including US and UK, the way Clause 2 was written clearly shows the signatories do not recognize China’s ownership on South China Sea.
Territories denounced by Japan through past conquers from Korea, China and Soviet Union (a successor state to Russia) were listed in Clause 2(a), 2(b) and 2(c) respectively.
Territories deemed to be owned by no nation such as Antarctic, and Spratly Islands (南沙群岛) and Paracel Islands (西沙群岛), were grouped under Clause 2(e) and 2(f).
The San Francisco Treaty again refutes the notion that the US has recognized China’s claim on South China Sea.

[jamesu]

Why does China consistently refuse to refer its nine-dash line to international arbitration? It also refuses multilateral approach to settle the dispute, insisting on bilateral discussion.
It’s clear that China knows its nine-dash line claim will crumble when measured against the territorial principles as established by the international laws, which I have mentioned earlier. Therefore China prefers to use a divide and conquer approach, relying on its economic and military might as incentives as well as coercion.
The nine-dash line, in essence, is the modern equivalence of the Emperor’s New Clothes. There is no substance beneath the sound bites.

[jamesu]

The eleven-dash line map was published by the Republic of China (ROC, the government in Taiwan today) in 1947. It was largely based on a ROC map compiled in 1935 which was named "Map of Islands in the South China Sea" 《中国南海各岛屿图》
ROC mapmakers created the map by copying from Western nation maps. Many features on the ROC map were given Western sounding names such as Glasgow Reef (格拉斯哥礁).
One of the features was James Shoal, which was 18m below the sea level off the coast of Malaysian Sarawak state. It was named after the 19th century British Captain James Ross. James Shoal was originally misidentified by ROC mapmaker as 曾母滩. The word “曾母” sounds like James in Mandarin, while 滩 refers to sandbank, implying it was a feature above the sea level.
The mistake made in the 1935 map was only corrected when later Chinese mapmaker realized the English word “shoal” refers to underwater feature. The Chinese name was subsequently changed to 曾母暗沙。

[raulsaria]

China goal. " what mine is mine, what yours we split".

[chrysllerryu]

I thought they are friends 😂😂😂, why china is objecting lol 😂😂😂

[AhmetTekin]

Anwar is a mirrow image of the weak Duterte in the Philippines 🇵🇭.

[comchadelalora]

Mr Anwar: that action will seriously affect your deepest friendship with China 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[pushslice]

Wow, so the p.m. actually might …own a pair??

🎾 🎾

His wives will be very encouraged by this development !

[djibicisse]

Aiyoh Anwar what happened😂😂
Thought he want brics😂

[AbiManyu-mvly]

The problem is right now Anwar request Xi to build High Speed Train in Malaysia

[fawty]

"We have no problem with china" didn't aged well