Malaysia
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Conflicts - Tensions
Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan reject PRC’s latest South China Sea map
REUTERS The Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan have rejected as baseless a map released by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea. Beijing released the map in late August 2023 of its notorious U-shaped line covering about 90% of the South China Sea, a source of many of the disputes…
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Illicit Activity
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines renew commitment to cooperation
Gusty Da Costa Joint sea and air patrols conducted by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines under the 2017 Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA) continue to demonstrate success and remain critical to Indo-Pacific maritime security, according to officials and analysts. The three countries agreed in June to build on their cooperative efforts going forward. Regular patrols, coordination and intelligence sharing established by…
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Conflicts - Tensions
PRC research incursions into other nations’ EEZs continue despite international suspicions
FORUM Staff On June 20, 2023, a state-owned Chinese research vessel intruded into Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, about 145 nautical miles off Sarawak. The incursion represented the latest apparent violation of international norms, and likely laws, by Chinese survey ships in recent years. In a proportionate response to the repeated encroachments, the Royal Malaysian…
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Conflicts - Tensions
ASEAN Coast Guard Forum strengthens cooperation to combat maritime threats
Gusty Da Costa Coast guards from Southeast Asian nations are striving to enhance cooperation and communication to counter maritime threats such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and human trafficking. Patrolling the South China Sea area and protecting Rohingya refugees are also priorities for coast guards of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, according to regional leaders…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Defense leaders at Shangri-La Dialogue call for discourse, upholding international law
FORUM Staff Communication and coordination were major themes at the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in early June 2023. More than 600 delegates from 49 nations attended the security forum, which draws defense officials, senior military officers, diplomats and analysts from around the world. Opening the summit, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described dialogue as a crucial guardrail among nations and…
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Partnerships
ASEAN exercise, naval chiefs meeting demonstrate unity, ‘voice for peace’
Maria T. Reyes Navies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states displayed a united front in the South China Sea during the ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise (AMNEX) hosted by the Philippine Navy. The exercise, conducted May 12-15, 2023, consisted of shore and sea phases, including the simulated rescue of a cruise ship being harassed by pirates off…
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Features
Maritime Domain Awareness
FORUM Staff | Photos By United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Securing maritime borders requires more than merely having the technology to detect anomalies; it must also include a workforce trained to analyze the data. People with skills to know what they’re seeing and how to explain and report it are a key component to deterrence. And the United…
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Features
Maritime Transparency
James McAden/HawkEye 360 Radio frequency (RF) space-based technologies aid in maritime domain awareness (MDA) and in the detection of dark vessels or dark ships. At sea, such vessels have disabled their automatic identification system (AIS) responders to avoid the tracking of their location, identity, course and speed, potentially to carry out nefarious activities. MDA poses a challenge, particularly given nations’…
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Conflicts - Tensions
PRC, Russia deepen ties amid Beijing’s unconvincing call for peace
FORUM Staff On the heels of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) dubious peace plan in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping paid a three-day visit to Moscow in March 2023. The PRC billed the trip as a “visit of friendship, cooperation and peace” as Beijing attempts to paint itself as a neutral party…
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia boosts defense capabilities with FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea
Felix Kim In an agreement that demonstrates the rising prowess of South Korea’s defense industry, Malaysia will buy 18 FA-50 fighter jets manufactured by KAI Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. The FA-50 Fighting Eagle, pictured, is a combat-ready variant of KAI’s T-50 Golden Eagle trainer. Malaysia will be the fourth Southeast Asian nation to acquire the T-50 and its variants along…
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