KUALA LUMPUR – Despite China claiming that its recent air force exercise involving 16 planes did not intrude into Malaysia’s maritime zone, it may still be considered a display of power.
Andrin Raj, adviser and associate of the Security and Violent Extremism Research Centre, University of Indonesia, asserts that this exercise by China posed no military threat to the country.
“The Chinese assumed that with close relations with Malaysia, it (flying near Malaysian airspace) would not have caused major alarm.
“As for the Chinese air force flying their aircraft close to Malaysia, it could have been merely an error of calculation on their part and of their own security operations.
“They assumed Malaysia would see it as no threat, as the advisory council on flight paths in the region did not ring any security concerns,” he said when contacted by The Vibes.
Given that Malaysia is part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, Andrin said, attacks on Malaysian soil would involve Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, which China would not want.
Basically, entering Malaysian airspace, or even flying too close to the country’s boundaries, is China’s way of flexing its muscles in the region and among Western powers, he said.
“China knows that doing this in the region, with its relations with its Asean counterparts, will not create a major threat or security exposure to the region.
“Simply put, they are showing Western powers the kind of power they have in the region.”
Meanwhile, Kuhan Raj, a lawyer with a background in maritime law, said China’s decision to send planes into Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is mischievous, as Beijing knows full well the type of message it sends.
“It’s a fundamental tenet of international law that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory.
“It is axiomatic from this principle that no aircraft is normally entitled to enter the airspace above the territory of a foreign state without the latter’s permission.
“As such, Malaysia is entitled to feel slighted by China’s actions,” he told The Vibes.
Given that the incursion took place in the highly disputed South China Sea, said Raj, it would increase Malaysia’s insecurities.
“Personally, to me, this is China being mischievous – sending planes to the EEZ, when they know full well the type of message this may send to Malaysia.”
And with Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein having appeared to refer to China as Malaysia’s “elder brother”, he cautioned that this is an intricate matter for the government to handle, given China’s military strength and investments in Malaysia.
On Monday, Royal Malaysian Air Force fighter jets intercepted Chinese air force transport planes that appeared off Borneo over the South China Sea.
Hishammuddin slammed the exercise as an intrusion, and summoned the Chinese ambassador to Malaysia.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy, however, said the activities were merely a flight training exercise that was not intended to target any country.
The spokesman also contended that the aircraft did not invade any sovereign airspace. – The Vibes, June 4, 2021
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