強化戰略斷點：2014馬中軍事演習

【Comment】

馬來西亞與中國雖有領土爭議，卻決定在明年舉行首度聯合軍事演習。

雙方在2005年簽署了〈軍事合作解備忘錄〉 (the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation)。

解放軍總參謀長受邀訪問馬來西亞位於婆羅洲的 Mawilla 2 軍港，這是解放軍海軍艦隊首度與南中國海國家建立關係。由於東協國家多與中國有主權衝突，故努力統一陣線中。馬來西亞雖保持低調，但其舉動會引起何種效應尚未知曉。

中國雖贊成建立南海準則，卻絕不放棄領土主張。此時，歐巴馬正好與習近平一退一近，很難不讓人懷疑美國的承諾。

China, Malaysia to hold first ever joint military drill next year◎interaksyon（2013.10.30）http://www.interaksyon.com/article/73815/china-malaysia-to-hold-first-ever-joint-military-drill-next-year

KUALA LUMPUR -- China and Malaysia will hold their first-ever joint military exercises next year, the Southeast Asian nation's defense minister said Wednesday, despite their rival claims to the tense South China Sea.

The announcement by Hishammuddin Hussein, who is in Beijing to meet Chinese military leaders, follows a visit to Kuala Lumpur earlier this month by China's President Xi Jinping, in which the two countries pledged closer ties.

"Malaysia and China are expected to launch our first joint exercise in 2014 after the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation was signed in 2005," Hishammuddin said in a statement sent to AFP.

The statement gave no details on the planned drills such as their location, scale, or which military branches would be involved.

A Malaysian defense ministry official confirmed they would be the first-ever drills between the two countries' armed forces.

Hishammuddin, who met his counterpart General Chang Wanquan in China, also said he invited Chang to visit the Malaysian naval base of Mawilla 2 in the South China Sea on the island of Borneo.

The visit would be aimed at launching a "direct-contact" relationship with China's fleet in the South China Sea.

The resource-rich waterway has become a potential military flashpoint in recent years as Beijing has pressed its claim to nearly all of it.

Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have various claims -- some overlapping -- to the sea, a vital thoroughfare for world trade and shipping traffic.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam are members, has sought to present a united front against China.

It was not immediately clear how Malaysia's warming defense ties with China would be received in other ASEAN capitals.

While the Philippines and Vietnam have been involved in tense confrontations with China over the issue, Malaysia has sought to keep a lower profile in the dispute.

In recent years, China has become Malaysia's top export market and a vital trade buffer against the world economic volatility, and their commerce and overall relationship has strengthened.

Xi's visits to Indonesia and Malaysia and his attendance at a regional summit in Bali took on added significance after President Barack Obama cancelled his own plans to visit due to the recent US government shutdown.

The episode symbolically highlighted the two giants' rivalry for influence in the Asia-Pacific and raised questions over Washington's promise to refocus its attention on the region.

China agreed this year to discuss with ASEAN an eventual binding set of rules to prevent accidental conflict at sea, but analysts say Beijing will never give up its territorial claims and they predict maritime tensions will continue to simmer.