A retired brigadier-general said this in the wake of reports that China was seeking to supply weapons and other military equipment to Malaysia.
Speaking to FMT, Mohd Arshad Raji said the reports should come as no surprise.
“Given the increasingly warm ties and influx of Chinese money in the country, it would be natural for the government to buy more arms and military equipment from Beijing,” Arshad said.
Chinese investments in mega-infrastructure and property development projects, such as the RM55 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and the RM43 billion Melaka Gateway among others, have raised questions about Malaysia’s security and neutrality in a region which is being closely watched by the world’s superpowers.
Arshad said traditionally, Malaysia bought weapons and military equipment from western countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, and he believed that a shift towards buying arms from China could affect Malaysia’s bilateral trade with the US and UK.
“But my biggest concern is that a pivot towards China in terms of defence could affect our neutrality and military ties with our traditional western allies.
“China is adopting an aggressive and dominant stance, particularly in the South China Sea, where it is increasing its military presence.”
Arshad also voiced concern that a greater dependence on Chinese arms and military equipment could open the doors for China to spread its military doctrine in Malaysia.
“Malaysia, being a Commonwealth country, has been more inclined towards a western military doctrine.
“In essence, a military doctrine acts as a guide to help us standardise our operations. It represents our central beliefs and principles on how war should be waged.”
Arshad said he wasn’t sure China’s military doctrine was suited for Malaysia.
Sino-sphere of influence
Independent security analyst Lam Choong Wah says China wanting to sell us arms is not out of the ordinary as it is no different to what western countries have been doing for decades.
“To me, singling out China from other countries which sell arms gives the perception that China wants Malaysia to submit to a Sino-sphere of influence.
“In fact, this is what the US and UK have been doing for decades themselves.”
Lam said he didn’t believe Putrajaya would be beholden to buying Chinese weapons and military equipment as it concerned national security interests.
“Military trade isn’t as simple as commercial deals and are subject to security evaluations. No country can use force to buy exclusively from it.”
Lam said Malaysia’s previous purchases of weapons and military equipment from the UK, US, Russia, France and even China was proof of this.
Last year, Malaysia purchased China-made littoral mission ships for the Royal Malaysian Navy, the first time it had bought military equipment from the country.
But in recent years, Malaysia has also purchased military assets from other countries, such as six US-made MD530G scout helicopters.
Other big military assets purchased from western countries include two French-made Scorpene class submarines and 18 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 MKM fighters.
As far as quality is concerned, Lam said countries like Kuwait, Pakistan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Philippines have had no major issues with weapons and military equipment procured from China.
According to Lam, what was important was the lack of parliamentary oversight in the purchase of weapons and military equipment.
“In line with principles of democracy and transparency, the government must debate any military trade deal worth RM100 million or more in Parliament.”
Yesterday, a Singapore-based military researcher said that China’s reported attempt to supply weapons and other military equipment to Malaysia is part of the superpower’s move to become a strong global arms provider.
Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, was quoted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) as saying that there were reasons to surmise some kind of discussions on military purchases had taken place between China and Malaysia.
At the most recent Dewan Rakyat sitting, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that foreign military vessels, including a Chinese submarine which had docked in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, earlier this year, had obtained permission and diplomatic approval from Wisma Putra.
In January, the arrival of a Chinese submarine in Kota Kinabalu – believed to be a Type 039 Song-class diesel electric submarine – created waves, with world media from the United States to India, running stories on it and raising questions about China’s naval activities.