Presence of Chinese warship should not be taken lightly, expert says
In the past, there had been incidents of Chinese ships entering Malaysia's EEZ, but they were only maritime patrol vessels.
SHAH ALAM – The presence of a Chinese warship in Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), near an oil platform in Sarawak, should not be taken lightly as it concerns national security.
Defence analyst Zaki Salleh said that the issue of Chinese ships intruding into Malaysian waters was not new, but the sighting of a warship from that country needed attention.
He said in the past, there had been incidents of Chinese ships entering Malaysia's EEZ, but they were only maritime patrol vessels.
“Do not take this intrusion lightly, as it indicates that our defence is weak, allowing China to become increasingly bold by sending warships into our waters.
“The entry of the Chinese ship this time is different as it involved a frigate-class warship equipped with various modern weaponry.
“An investigation shows that the Jiangwei-class Chinese frigate is equipped with anti-ship missiles, air defence systems and torpedoes,” he said.
On Saturday, a Chinese frigate and the China Coast Guard (CCG) were reportedly seen at Malaysia’s EEZ, near the oil platform in Sarawak.
SeaLight.live director Raymond Powell, in a social media post, claimed that the Jiangwei II Class 053H3 light frigate was last detected at Ubi Reef after its Automatic Information System (AIS) was turned off, making the ship’s location impossible to determine.
Zaki, however, believed that China’s presence in Malaysian waters was only to showcase its strength and did not involve provocation, unlike similar situations with the Philippines and Vietnam.
“Although our waters have been intruded upon several times, China has yet to provoke. This also shows that China is still cautious, considering its existing relationship with Malaysia.
“However, while we respond by deploying navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency patrol ships to monitor the South China Sea, our capabilities are not on par,” he added.
In response, Zaki emphasised that the government needs to focus on modernising the Malaysian Armed Forces' assets, particularly the Royal Malaysian Navy, as this remains a critical issue due to the slow pace of upgrades.
“Military asset renewal must be expedited by allocating relevant provisions to the Defence Ministry in the upcoming 2025 Budget,” Zaki said.
