Malaysia, a co-member of the Philippines in the largely economic group Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has once more nixed the Philippine claim to Sabah and dismissed Manila’s “excessive maritime claims” in the disputed Kalayaan Island Group in the South China Sea. A note verbale submitted before the United Nations by the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the UN on Friday (Saturday in Manila), appears an escalation of a debate fueled by an exchange of tweets between foreign ministers of Manila and Kuala Lumpur . It also marks a rare encounter between two Southeast Asian states with conflicting claims in the South China Sea, where the ASEAN, as an alliance, would usually come together on a united front against China, which claims nearly all of the waters.

Requejo, R. E. (2020, August 30). Malaysia zaps PH Sabah claim in note verbale. Manila Standard, p. A1.