PUTRAJAYA: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir announced that Malaysia will issue a protest note to China regarding its maritime claims in the “China Standard Map Edition 2023”. The ministry has already issued a statement expressing Malaysia’s position on the matter. The next step will be to send the protest note to China. Zambry mentioned that this is the established practice for such cases. However, he did not specify when the note will be delivered.
On Monday, China’s Natural Resources Ministry released the “China Standard Map Edition 2023”, which includes Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) maritime areas near Sabah and Sarawak, as well as areas of Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. In response, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on Wednesday, asserting that Malaysia does not recognize China’s claims in the South China Sea illustrated in the map, including its encroachment upon Malaysia’s maritime areas. The statement also emphasized that the map does not hold any legal or binding authority over Malaysia.
The map presented China’s unilateral maritime claims that overlap with Malaysia’s maritime areas, based on the 1979 Malaysia New Map. The Foreign Ministry pointed out that Malaysia has consistently rejected any foreign party’s claims to sovereignty rights and jurisdiction over maritime features or areas based on this map. Malaysia views the South China Sea issue, including maritime boundary matters, as complex and sensitive, to be settled through peaceful dialogue and negotiations according to international laws.
The ministry’s statement further stated that Malaysia remains committed to cooperating with all relevant parties to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
