An Analysis of Malaysia's Claims in the South China Sea

Malaysia claims eleven islands and features in the South China Sea, seven of which are in the southern part of the Spratly archipelago. In this specific area, the country also claims a 12-mile territorial boundary, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and a continental shelf.

The overlapping maritime claims have generated a particularly volatile situation and any escalation of the conflict in the South China Sea is likely to pose a threat to regional security. The Malaysian demands in the South China Sea coincide with those of the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei, in addition to the ubiquitous China's nine-dash line.

The large number of claimants makes the maritime dispute one of the most complex and challenging regional conflicts in Asia. Malaysia occupies one island and three rocks in the Spratly archipelago where it has constructed small naval stations and basins, two low-tide elevations and three totally submerged reefs that are on its continental shelf.

The only island controlled by Kuala Lumpur is Pulau Layang-Layang (Swallow Reef), which has been occupied by a small military contingent since May 1983. The control of the island is disputed; it is also claimed by the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan and Vietnam.

In the following years Malaysia established the naval station Lima on Pulau Layang-Layang and the station Uniform on Terumbu Ubi (Ardasier Reef) (Basiron, 2012: 74). With its fishing port and a 1.5-km airstrip, Pulau Layang-Layang (hereafter Swallow Reef) was the first artificially expanded island in the Spratly archipelago (Cronin and Dubel, 2013: 14).

The other features under Malaysian control are Terumbu Ubi (Ardasier Reef), Terumbu Laya (Dallas Reef), Terumbu Siput (Erica Reef), Terumbu Peninjao (Investigator Shoal) and Terumbu Mantanani (Mariveles Reef), which are all claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. (Ardasier Reef is claimed also by the Philippines).

There are several other islands and rocks claimed by the federal government but they lie under another country's control: Terumbu Laksamana (Commodore Reef) is occupied by the Philippines, Amboyna Kecil (Amboyna Cay) and Terumbu Penahu (Barque Canada Reef) have been seized by the Vietnamese Navy and they also host military facilities.