China deepens military ties with Malaysia

China deepens military ties with Malaysia For the first time, a Chinese submarine has docked at a port in Malaysia, signalling deepening military ties between the two countries, which are already partners in the development of the Beijing-led Maritime Silk Road. The four-day stopover of the submarine from January 3 at the port of Kota Kinabalu is being seen as a trigger for elevated tensions in

the South China Sea (SCS). The Malaysian port has a naval base facing the SCS. According to the information office of China’s Ministry of Defence, the submarine and a support ship arrived at the port for “rest and recreation” after completing an escort mission to the Gulf of Aden and Somalia. It was the second confirmed port visit by a Chinese submarine, following a visit to Sri Lanka in 2014, the People’s Daily online reported on Monday.

Special ties

Analysts say docking of Chinese submarine signals the emergence of special ties between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

“Submarine port visits can only happen when mutual trust between two navies has reached new heights, as submarine operations are very secretive and sensitive,” the state-run China Daily quoted Zhong Feiteng, an expert on Asia-Pacific affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as saying.

The visit of the submarine is adding a prominent military dimension to China’s ties with Malaysia which is fast emerging as Beijing’s top partner, close to the Strait of Malacca, along the Maritime Silk Road (MSR).

The MSR is part of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a massive connectivity undertaking on land and sea, which covers 65 countries. “I just came back from the investigation and study of the BRI in Malaysia. I found out that we have already established the China-Malaysia port cooperation alliance, comprising 11 Chinese and six Malaysian ports. Besides, the Strait of Malacca maritime industrial park, among others, is also being set up,” said Liang Haiming, chief economist at the China Silk Road iValley Research Institute, in a conversation with The Hindu . He added: “From 2013 when it was proposed, the BRI is now developing very fast.”

The Malacca industrial park is part of the giant Malacca Gateway Project that China and Malaysia signed last year. It also includes the establishment of the strategically vital deep water port in the Strait of Malacca in Malaysia.