Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim tells parliament that Beijing was worried that state-owned energy company Petronas is carrying out a"major activity" in disputed seas but which is within Malaysia's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
Anwar's remarks come after he opened the door for negotiations with China earlier this week, in a sign of mounting pressure on Malaysia's energy operations in waters that Beijing claims as its own.China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which at least $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually.
China was worried that "Petronas has carried out a major activity at an area that is also claimed by China," Anwar said on Tuesday, responding to a parliamentary question about his discussions on the South China Sea during his visit to China last week. China claims its territory via a "nine-dash line" on its maps, which cuts into the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
Anwar should have reminded 🇨🇳 of its obligations under UN charter & UNCLOS