Malaysia Submits Protest Note to Philippines Over Two New Acts Violating Sabah Maritime Boundaries
The Philippines’ Maritime Zone Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on November 8, exceed the boundaries established by Malaysia’s 1979 New Map, which is based on international law.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA)– Malaysia has submitted a formal protest note to the Philippines over two new maritime acts passed by the latter, which allegedly violate Sabah’s maritime boundaries, Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad Alamin announced today.
He stated that the Philippines’ Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on November 8, exceed the boundaries established by Malaysia’s 1979 New Map, which is based on international law.
According to him, the reference documents for these acts also touch on the Philippines’ claim to Sabah. “We have finalized and reviewed several key issues that we will include in our protest note,” he said, as quoted by the national news agency Bernama, during the committee-stage deliberations on the 2025 Supply Bill (Budget) in the Dewan Rakyat.
“This protest note will be sent out today as a demonstration of our firm commitment to uphold the sovereignty of Sabah and our nation,” he added.
International media reports indicate that these new Philippine maritime laws are seen as an effort by Manila to reinforce its claims over the contested South China Sea.
President Marcos signed these two new laws last Friday, aiming to strengthen the country’s claims by delineating maritime zones and sea lanes.
The new laws – the Maritime Zone Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act – underscore “the importance of our maritime and archipelagic identity,” Marcos said.
“With these laws, we align domestic law with international norms, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thereby enhancing governance capacity and reinforcing our maritime policy for economic development and national security.”
The Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act designates specific sea and air routes for foreign ships and aircraft within Philippine waters in the South China Sea, while the Maritime Zone Act defines areas that are also claimed by China but remain under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of Manila.
These laws were signed amid Philippine military exercises involving some 3,000 personnel from the navy, air force, and army, including island-seizure and amphibious landing operations in the South China Sea.
China, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea, has adopted increasingly assertive measures in the region in recent years.
Beijing disregarded the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which stated that there was no legal or historical basis for its expansive claims.
Meanwhile, the Anadolu Agency reported that on Friday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing summoned the Philippine ambassador to present a “strong representation” against the Maritime Zone Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act.
The report noted that Beijing claimed the laws “illegally incorporate China’s Huangyan Dao, most of the Nansha Islands, and related waters into the Philippine Maritime Zone.”
The move is seen as an attempt to “enshrine the South China Sea arbitration award as domestic law, which severely violates China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, a move strongly condemned and opposed by China,” according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. — DSA
