KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 14): The port call by two navy ships from China, along with students from the Naval University of China at Penang Port on Oct 5, was made in accordance with a diplomatic request from the Chinese embassy and did not violate any Malaysian laws, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said that the visit was also in line with the 50th anniversary celebration of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, with approval of the Ministry of Defence and diplomatic clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the ships to dock.

“The other matters were state government affairs, but a diplomatic request from the Chinese embassy was clearly made,” Mohamad, who is widely known as Tok Mat, said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi (Perikatan Nasional-Tumpat) regarding the government’s stance and actions following the arrival of the ships in Penang, which she described as sending the wrong message to the public.

Mohamad stressed that the visit did not involve any violations of the country's laws, but if any issues arise, they will be investigated.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said that as the chair of Asean next year, Malaysia is committed to constructively addressing issues related to the South China Sea using appropriate forums and diplomatic channels.

He said Malaysia will continue to assert its strong position on South China Sea issues across various platforms to ensure that the sovereignty and interests of the nation remain protected.

Mohamad added that Malaysia is playing a crucial role internationally as the Asean-China dialogue relationship coordinator for three years from August 2024 to July 2027, with one of Malaysia's roles being a co-chair with China in negotiating the draft code of conduct in the South China Sea.

“In this regard, Malaysia is committed to ensuring that the code of conduct, if agreed upon, will be an effective and substantive document for addressing issues related to the South China Sea.

“Malaysia will always ensure that the code of conduct being negotiated will never undermine the sovereignty, sovereign rights, and interests of the nation,” he said.

He was answering a question from Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy (Barisan Nasional-Kalabakan) regarding the ministry's actions at the international level in addressing Malaysia's maritime territorial sovereignty issues in the South China Sea, especially given the rising tensions with China involving neighbouring countries such as the Philippines.

On allegations of a leak of a diplomatic note from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing, Mohamad said that the ministry is still conducting an internal investigation into the matter.

“Typically, our documents have a watermark, but the one issued does not. If it’s from our side, it must have a watermark. So, we are investigating whether it was issued by other parties besides the embassy,” he said.

Previously, it was reported that a diplomatic note dated Feb 18 was published in an article by a Filipino media portal on Aug 29.

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