Malaysia’s push to explore energy blocks off its coast has reportedly turned into a five-nation face off involving U.S. and Chinese warships — raising tensions between the world’s biggest economies.
According to Bloomberg News on Thursday, the tinderbox started heating up in December, when Malaysia’s state-run energy giant Petroliam Nasional Bhd contracted a vessel to explore two areas in the South China Sea in its extended continental shelf. Those waters are also claimed by Vietnam and China, which immediately sent ships to shadow the boat.
The situation went south on April 16 with the arrival of a Chinese surveyor known as the Haiyang Dizhi 8, which got into a standoff with Vietnam last year over offshore energy blocks, the news outlet reported.
The United States this week sent at least two warships within some 50 nautical miles of the Malaysian ship, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed analysts.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said China is taking advantage of the world's preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic to push its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea.
“Beijing has moved to take advantage of the distraction, from China’s new unilateral announcement of administrative districts over disputed islands and maritime areas in the South China Sea, its sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel earlier this month, and its ‘research stations’ on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef,” Pompeo said in a meeting via video to foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
He also accused China of deploying militarized ships to intimidate other claimant countries from developing offshore gas and oil projects.
In a statement, Pompeo added China “dispatched a flotilla that included an energy survey vessel for the sole purpose of intimidating other claimants from engaging in offshore hydrocarbon development.”
“The U.S. strongly opposes China’s bullying and we hope other nations will hold them to account too,” he warned.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command confirmed Wednesday three ships — the USS America, an amphibious assault ship; the USS Bunker Hill, a guided missile cruiser; and the USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer — were operating in the South China Sea. They were joined by an Australian Anzac-class frigate on April 18.
According to Bloomberg, China increasingly has disrupted the efforts of Vietnam, the Philippines -- and now Malaysia — to exploit oil, gas and fishing resources off their shores. China claims about 80% of the South China Sea through its so-called “nine-dash line,” and its growing economic power allows it to invest in bigger and farther ranging ships.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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