Malaysia and Vietnam at loggerheads over the South China Sea
Malaysia sends a letter of complaint to Vietnam over its alleged expansion of a coral reef in the disputed Spratly Islands that both countries claim as their own.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Malaysia has sent a letter of complaint to Vietnam over the latter’s alleged expansion of a coral reef in the South China Sea that is claimed by both countries, Reuters reported speaking to local officials.
The letter was reportedly sent to Vietnam's Foreign Ministry in early October, but so far Malaysia has not received any reply.
The move sheds light on another dispute over the sea, one that does not involve China.
The complaint concerns the alleged artificial expansion of the Barque Canada Reef, an islet in the Spratly Islands where Vietnam has built several infrastructures, according to satellite images analysed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.
A few days ago Radio Free Asia reported that Hanoi was also building an airstrip on the reef.
The tiny Spratly Islands are the object of overlapping claims by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and the Philippines with various levels of occupation.
Significant construction has taken place in recent years as countries seek to boost their territorial claims and show that they can sustain human settlement on dozens of islets.
China's activities have attracted the most attention, with seven islands built on submerged reefs.
Although territorial disagreements between Malaysia and Vietnam are rare, Kuala Lumpur has regularly opposed what it says is an encroachment by Vietnamese fishermen in its Exclusive Economic Zone, even leading to the arrest of some Vietnamese crews.
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