Singapore/Tokyo ¨C As Chinese gray-zone activities in the South China Sea continue to push regional boundaries, Malaysia has set a clear threshold: Any disruption to the country¡¯s offshore oil and gas platforms would cross a red line, its defense chief has warned.
¡°If our national interest ¡ª the oil and gas platforms ¡ª is disrupted or affected physically, then that will be the red line,¡± Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin told The Japan Times in an interview on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore last week.
The epicenter of this friction is the Petronas-operated Kasawari gas field, located roughly 200 kilometers off Bintulu, Sarawak region, in the disputed South China Sea, where a regular China Coast Guard presence has been reported within Malaysia¡¯s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.