Opposition to China’s patrol of Malacca Straits
By Ali Cordoba, Wfol.tv
China made a blunt offer to Singapore during the Apec meeting – it want to have its war machinery to patrol the Malacca Straits where Singapore has only a small control and Malaysia and Indonesia (majority Muslim states) have a larger control of the sea way.
The first reaction was a NO from Malaysian observers who says Malaysia and Indonesia has a tacit agreement on the straits – that is no foreign forces to patrol the area. The official stance of Malaysia and Indonesia has always been that even the United States or Nato forces are not allowed to set base or patrol the straits and there will be no agreement with th
Indonesia has also rejected a proposed deal from Singapore in which the Singaporean armed forces and its ‘guests’ – it could be Nato, USA, Israel or China – would have full land, sea and air access to Indonesian waters and territory for joint exercises. The once called Defence Protocol Agreement (DPA) was shut down by weary Indonesian MP’s at the national parliament two years ago.
Unofficially, the Malaysians and Indonesians are waiting for Singapore to give them an indication of the intentions by China to cooperate with Singapore in the patrolling of the straits. In principle Malaysia will not agree that China brings its navy battalions in this region which will create a terrible shake u in the balance of power that already exists between the three littoral states. “Malaysia and Indonesia, being majority Muslim states, has a visceral fear of the Chinese communities being supported by China and they will see China’s offer for help to Singapore in the straits as an attempt to overturn the Muslim majority’s control of the straits in favor Singapore and Singapore’s western allies,” said a diplomat who wanted to remain incognito.
She added to Wfol.tv that while policy makers in Singapore are congratulating China for its offer of help to guard and patrol the Straits of Malacca, the Malaysians and Indonesians are saying the offer should also be made to Malaysia-Indonesia as the nations that controls 80 percent of the straits. “Indeed, Singapore has its reasons to keep the offer to itself, wishfully thinking that Malaysian and Indonesia will be silent if China is patroling the straits and not the US or Israel or even Nato,” she added.
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