[UPDATED] Respect international laws, stresses Penny Wong on South China Sea claims

KOTA KINABALU – Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has expressed concern on the ongoing situation in the South China Sea, where rising Chinese military activities have been reported in Malaysia recently. 

Reiterating that the future between Australia and Southeast Asia is interlinked, the Sabah-born lawmaker stressed the importance of the international laws to be observed on the claims over the South China Sea.  

She said Australia’s stance with regard to the disputed sea and the ongoing related security threat is clear. 

“The international laws, norms and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea principles matter. 

“A great deal of our trade transits through the South China Sea and that’s the reason why it is so important to have the international laws observed. 

“This is the position Australia will continue to take and countries in the region will take,” she told reporters at the Foh Sang commercial area here, today. 

Wong did not name China in her response. Malaysia had accused China of invading its airspace and harrassing offshore assets in the South China Sea. 

However, China had simply brushed off the allegations as merely “routine training” of its military. 

Tensions have been building between Malaysia and China from as far back as 2019 following alleged harassment by China’s military towards a ship commissioned for oil and gas exploration by Petronas near Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone. 

Last year, the Royal Malaysian Air Force detected 16 military aircraft encroaching into Malaysia’s maritime zone on May 31. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently visited Sabah in his personal capacity while on a tour involving several countries, meeting with Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan on May 26. 

On June 6, Kitingan during a memorial service confirmed that Wang had come to Sabah not in his ministerial capacity. 

In April, Jeffrey lambasted the federal government for not taking serious action in defending the region’s maritime sovereignty in view of the overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.  

Wong said that it is important for Australia to constantly engage with its neighbours, which she said share many similarities, such as multiculturalism and diversity.  

“I think it matters that Australia speaks to South East Asia in a way it recognises that we are part of this region and our futures are shared. 

“These are challenging times in the world. We are also seeking to navigate in this world in the way we do best when we do it together,” said Wong.

For instance, Malaysia and Australia ties run deep in terms of culture, defence and strategic ties, which could be traced back to the early 70s.  

To a suggestion that Australia should open a university in Sabah, Wong said she will look into the matter.

Wong said she was also aware of the visa delays involving Malaysians planning to head to Australia. 

“The matter had been raised with me by people in Malaysia. There has been a backlog, I am aware of the delays. 

“We are getting to the backlog,” she added.

Meanwhile, Wong took note of Sabahans who overstayed in her country after Jeffrey had informed her was receptive to suggestions to resolve the issue.

“Many Sabahans travelled to Australia for work in search of better wages and overstayed longer than the 90-day social visit permission. 

“These Sabahans working in Australia are circumstantial economic migrants and Australia needs workers to resolve its vast agricultural industry,”  he said following Wong’s courtesy call to him at Wisma Pertanian today. 

Jeffrey had suggested that special considerations are given to overstaying Sabahans there such as amnesty, repatriation with minimal fees, or zero fines to Sabahans who broke the immigration laws in Australia. 

Meanwhile, Wong was also briefed on the plight of Sabahans who wanted to study in Australia but found tuition and living expenses “prohibitively expensive.” 

In response, Wong said she will look into the issues further including providing scholarships to needy and deserving students from Sabah. 

Both leaders spoke for 45 minutes including touching on agricultural work together between Sabah and Australia, as well as climate change, nature conservation as well as establishing an Anzac War museum. – The Vibes, June 30, 2022