Thread by @olliekarp

In today's #dailysoup, let's go back to the SCS dispute as I'll introduce a disputed oil-abundant reef complex, the Luconia Shoal.

It is known for being a hotspot of maritime disputes between Malaysia, China, and Vietnam.

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Malaysia's maritime EEZ, just located beside the western shores of Sarawak and Sabah, is overlapped by the EEZs of the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, and China.

This houses precious oil fields, as well as the Luconia and the James Shoals.

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The Luconia Shoal is located near the Kasawari Gas Field, which was discovered in November 2011. It appears to contain three trillion cubic feet of gas resrouces, now being operated by Malaysian oil company, Petronas.

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Malaysia has been a major producer of oil and natural gas. In 2019, the country became the world's third largest natural gas producer and 26th largest crude oil producer.

However, the oil-abundant Luconia Shoal has been embroiled in disputes with China and Vietnam.

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During the early 2010s, the Malaysian government adopted a "playing it safe" policy, in which it would adapt a "silent" approach towards China, aiming to "maintain a special relationship with Beijing".

Although Malaysia continued to assert its SCS claims, Kuala Lumpur...

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...would stay silent on confrontational episodes with China in the SCS, claiming that it would "rather deal with China behind the scenes" and "avoid confronting China", making it appear as if Kuala Lumpur was "accommodating to China".

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While CCG vessels loitered the Luconia Shoals, especially a 1,000-ton Chinese Coast Guard vessel that loitered the area from 2013-15, the Najib Razak premiership remained silent.

It was in 2015 when the vessel caught KL's attention after aerial photos were posted.

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In June 2015, a Malaysian politician, Shahidan Kassim, publicly expressed concerns after a CCG ship was discovered loitering in Beting Patinggi Ali, a part of M'sian maritime territory, for 2 years.

That's too late of a response from the Najib gov't, which is sus.

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What Kuala Lumpur failed to notice during that time was that another larger Chinese vessel, the CCG 3401, was loitering at the Luconia Breakers, an area located south of the James Shoals known for housing a major passing for Malaysian marine natural gas.

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Notice that CCG 3401 was the same Chinese vessel used in illegally claiming the Scarborough Shoal, as well as in blocking Filipino vessels during the March 2014 Ayungin Shoal Incident.



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While Malaysian vessels continued to increase the number of patrol vessels in the Luconia Shoal, several types of Chinese Coast Guard patrol vessels, including the Haijing and Shucha II-class vessels, continue to loiter around the area during the late 2010s.

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Meanwhile, in 2018, Malaysian vessel Java Imperia, patrolling Malaysian maritime territory off the coast of Sarawak, was harassed by no other than...CCG 3401!

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Plus, CCG 3401 harassed two other Malaysian vessels, namely the KD Kelantan and the Dayang Sari, which are trying to protect Malaysian maritime territory.

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In 2020, Chinese vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8 and a couple of other Chinese vessels were involved with a standoff with the West Capella, a ship hired by Malaysian oil company Petronas.

Then, several US vessels and one Australian vessel came to intervene on Malaysia's behalf.

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However, even during the 2020 West Capella standoff, Kuala Lumpur kept its "playing safe" policy towards China.

When the incident happened, KL stayed silent, and then several days later, Malaysia's Foreign Minister finally issued a statement on the incident.

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However, the statement of the Malaysian Foreign Minister failed to counter China's claims in Malaysian SCS territory.

He failed to specify which Chinese vessels perpetrated the incident, denying that they are illegally loitering in Malaysian maritime territory.

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Plus, the Malaysian FM's statements, although they clarified Malaysia's approach towards the SCS, failed to condemn China's illegal actions in the SCS.

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In 2021, 16 Chinese military aircraft illegally entered Malaysian maritime territory in the SCS, prompting Malaysian fighter planes to intercept these Chinese aircraft.

Although public reaction to the incident was strong for a short while, KL kept its silent approach.

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Although KL stated that the SCS issue should be resolved, the current premiership of Anwar Ibrahim stated that it would "maintain open communication with China".

To make things worse, Ibrahim considered "oil x gas joint exploration with China in the SCS".

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Besides China, Malaysia also has maritime disputes with Vietnam in the SCS.

I will expound on this in a future entry to avoid too much information.

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Shoutouts:
@P_Kallioniemi, @Aaron_MatthewIL, @GordianKnotRay, @NervosaCafe, @LukeShiga, @RadityoDharmaP

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This is Phase 1, Entry 36 of the #dailysoup. Feel free to read the previous entries here: buymeacoffee.com/olliekarp
bit.ly/thedailysoup

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