Experts say Malaysia and China are not likely to clash but there is a need for Putrajaya to beef up its naval presence in the disputed South China Sea region.
In the past week or so, Putrajaya axed the animated movie Abominable after the film’s producers refused an order to cut a scene depicting a map of China, which included the contentious nine-dash line over the South China Sea . Daniel said there was no legal basis for the nine-dash line despite China’s insistance and wide use of the map in children’s books, globes and passports.
Daniel, who is with ISIS’ Foreign Policy and Security Studies Programme, said the ban on the book was unlikely to affect ties as it was a domestic issue rather than bilateral one. Meanwhile, other academics also said it was unlikely that the recent events would lead to Sino-Malaysia ties to be damaged.