5 July 2018

The Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) organized the abovementioned roundtable to provide an opportunity to raise and discuss matters of interest and relevance to maritime issues in the region.

Representatives from the Royal Malaysian Navy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, HELP University, Malaysia Institute of Defence and Security, RMN Sea Power Centre, Ministry of Transport, and US Embassy officials were invited for the exchange of views.

Discussion during the Roundtable

The discussion generally focused on the US position in the Asia-Pacific geopolitical landscape including that of the South China Sea and the relationship between US and ASEAN member states. It emphasized concerns over global hegemonic powers namely the US and China, the geo-economic status in the region, and existing regional maritime security management tools such as Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) and Trilateral Maritime Patrol (TMP) in the Sulu Sea.

Dr Satu Limaye signing MIMAs’ visitor book

In his remarks, Dr Limaye opined that the fundamental structure of US maritime interests in the Asia Pacific has not differed despite the change of administration. He thanked MIMA for hosting the fruitful roundtable discussion with the invited experts and congratulated the institute on celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.