SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 9 October 2024, Wednesday |

Japan and Malaysia sign $2.8 mln maritime security assistance deal

As Asian countries look to resist an increasingly assertive China, Japan and Malaysia signed a security aid arrangement on Saturday that included a grant of 400 million yen ($2.8 million) to strengthen Malaysia’s marine security.

Under the terms of the formal security aid agreement, which was signed by the foreign ministers of the two nations on the fringes of a Tokyo summit commemorating 50 years of cooperation between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan will supply supplies and equipment such as rescue boats.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the elevation of the Japan-Malaysia relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, Japan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

In addition to Malaysia, ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the South China Sea disputed by China, which claims almost all of the waterway that is a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China’s claims had no legal basis.

China and Japan last week accused each other of maritime incursions after a confrontation between their coast guards in waters around islands they both claim in the East China Sea.

Japan’s aid to Malaysia follows similar deals with the Philippines and Bangladesh this year and is part of a plan announced in April for Japan to provide developing countries with financial assistance to bolster their defences.

In the three-day summit through Sunday, Japan is offering ASEAN members support to boost their standing as international actors and help them manage their relations with others, including China, said an official at Japan’s foreign ministry.

Kishida is expected to meet separately with the leaders of all the ASEAN members, which also include Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and Timor-Leste.

    Source:
  • Reuters