July 09, 2021
Chinese coastguard vessels have repeatedly ‘harassed Malaysian energy exploration’, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said in its report.
Reuters
A controversial incident that saw 16 Chinese military aircraft near Malaysian air space in late May coincided with similar activity by Chinese coastguard vessels in the area, and may have been part of “parallel escalation” efforts aimed at challenging energy exploration activities in the South China Sea , a US think tank said.
Unreported minor stand-offs between China and Southeast Asian claimant states are continuing, details in the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) report published on Thursday (July 8) suggested, despite recent moves to hasten the introduction of a code of conduct for the disputed waterway.
AP
Chinese coast guard ships since early June have been putting pressure on and harassing new Malaysian oil and gas projects in the South China Sea off Sarawak state on Borneo Island, a U.S.-based think-tank said in a report released this week.
Malaysian state-run oil company Petronas, which runs such off-shore operations, meanwhile announced on Wednesday that it signed a 10-year, U.S. $7 billion deal to provide liquid natural gas to a subsidiary of the China National Offshore Oil Corp.
That same day, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative issued a report alleging that ships from the China Coast Guard (CCG) have been “contesting” new Malaysian oil and gas development in waters off the coast of Sarawak.
South China Sea: Beijing Sending Massive Research Ship To The Disputed Waters ibtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ibtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The U.S.-Vietnam relationship has been on an upward trajectory defined by common interests since diplomatic relations between the two countries normalized a quarter-century ago. Vietnam was one of two Southeast Asian countries specifically referenced in the Biden administration’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, demonstrating the extent to which it has become an increasingly critical part of U.S. defense planning for the region. Bilateral trade has grown over 200-fold since normalization. People-to-people ties have also grown as Vietnam’s tourism industry has developed. Since normalization, Vietnam has welcomed U.S. tourists, former Vietnam War veterans, and even former refugees and their families. U.S. schools and companies in turn have attracted Vietnamese students and recent graduates, who are among the best educated in the world despite the country’s lower level of economic development.