Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad disagrees with the presence of China warships in the South China Sea and has proposed a more “peaceful” solution, with Asean countries jointly patrolling the sea.

Rather than warships, he suggested that the patrols are carried out using vessels equipped to combat pirates.

In an interview with Hong Kong-based daily South China Morning Post, Mahathir warned of the risk warships posed.

“I think there should not be too many warships. Warships create tension.

“Someday, somebody might make some mistake and there will be a fight, some ships will be lost and there might be a war. We don’t want that,” he said.

Thus, Mahathir said, small boats “equipped to deal with pirates, not to fight another war” should be used instead.

Also, it would be a joint operation involving Asean countries as the South China Sea is “surrounded by Asean countries”. Aside from China and Malaysia, the sea also has marine borders with Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.

“But if China wants to participate with small boats, they are welcome.
Anybody, even the US if they want to participate, but don’t bring battleships here,” he added.

Mahathir contended that it was to China’s advantage to keep the South China Sea open as it would encourage trade. He cited the Straits of Malacca as an example of a free, trade-supportive waterway.

“We have never tried to stop ships from passing through. They are welcome.

“Although between Malaysia and Indonesia, we could have named this Straits of Malacca the ‘Malaysia-Indonesia Sea’, we didn’t.

“We want it to be open because it’s good for trade. The South China Sea also is good for trading nations,” he said.

Beijing has laid claim to the entire South China Sea and last month dispatched warships after US Navy vessels (above) sailed through the area, heightening tensions in the region.

Mahathir also maintained that Malaysia intends keeping at least five features of the disputed Spratly Islands, which form part of the South China Sea.

“There are certain rocks that we have developed into islands. And we hope that we will stay on those islands because it is a part of our role in keeping the sea safe from pirates and others.

“So we want to retain, of course, about four or five islands that we have occupied. The rest, whoever thinks it is theirs, they can occupy,” he said in the same interview.

Mahathir stressed that Malaysia would not budge even if China laid claim to them.

“But it is something if China claims the South China Sea is theirs, but those islands have always been regarded as ours for a long time. So we want to retain them,” he said.

Not against China, only lopsided deals

Mahathir have his assurance that his critical comments towards China-backed mega-projects in Malaysia like the East Coast Railway Link (ECRL) did not translate into hostility towards Beijing.

What he was hostile towards were lopsided deals that did not benefit Malaysia.

“When it involves giving contracts to China, borrowing huge sums of money from China and the contract goes to China with China contractors preferring to use their own workers from China, use everything imported from China, even the payment is not made here, it’s made in China... that kind of contract is not something that I welcome,” he said.

Mahathir also had specific criticisms for Forest City (above) built by China developers Country Garden on reclaimed land at the tip of Johor.

“We don’t want to have whole cities built in Malaysia (by developers who then bring in) foreigners to stay there. That is what I am against.

“I am against it even if (the investment is) from India or from Arab countries or from Europe.

“Foreign immigrants in huge numbers, nobody will welcome, certainly not in Malaysia,” he told the Hong Kong-based daily.

These projects aside, the prime minister said that Malaysia and China had long been close allies ever since his first tenure as prime minister, which spanned 22 years from 1981 to 2003.

“(During my first tenure) we sometimes became a spokesman for China, because everywhere I go people asked me, 'What do you think about China? Aren’t you afraid?'

“I said, ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of’. We have been neighbours for 2,000 years. You (China) haven’t conquered us yet.

“I have always regarded China as a good neighbour and also as a very big market for whatever it is that we produce.

“Malaysia is a trading nation. We need markets, so we can’t quarrel with such a big market,” he quipped.