By Zhai Kun

One of the goals of last week's international joint naval exercise in Singapore waters was to jointly protect shipping in the Strait of Malacca.

Part of the multinational contingent, China participated with Frigate Xiangfan of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

The action should help change people's negative views on the strategic waterway, putting a more positive light on the "Malacca Predicament".

How many people would believe me if I said that the Strait of Malacca is a good place? Since the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York, countries including the United States, Japan, Australia and Singapore have repeatedly published statistics showing the strait tops the world as piracy heaven. They have warned the world the strait could come under terrorist attack, especially strikes jointly launched by pirates and terrorists.

Today, 30 percent of liquified petroleum gas, 40 percent of commodities and 50 percent of the world's oil production are shipped through this vital waterway between the Indian and Pacific oceans. The 805-kilometer-long Strait of Malacca is practically the maritime lifeline of the entire world, especially the United States, Japan and China.

However, the state of shipping security in the strait has indeed been less than satisfactory. Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the three countries with sovereign rights over the vital waterway, have long had problems with each other as far as their cooperation is concerned, while the United States and Japan have been trying to step in.
 
The US even wants to maintain a military presence in the strait. Interests, frictions, risks, threats, terrorism, disputes and conspiracies or otherwise, the troubled strip of water with the narrowest point at only 40 kilometers across is rife with human treachery.

That's why the overburdened Strait of Malacca has to bear the shame of being labeled "a cursed place" besides other humiliations.

The good news is that things have been looking up in recent years and we can now give the strait the credit it deserves.

We have noticed the number of pirate attacks in the strait has fallen in the past few years, whereas the same problem has hurt our national interest in Somali waters. This turn for the better is partly the result of coordinated patrols established by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in 2004 and the "Eye in the Sky" aerial patrol scheme launched afterwards.

Though the joint patrol program still suffers from inadequate funding, technology, equipment and human resources, its score sheet shows the three countries, for the sake of their sovereignty, interests, self-esteem and international prestige, have managed to put aside disputes, strengthen cooperation and more or less fulfill their obligations to keep the strait safe.

That's why the pirates are showing up in Somali waters instead of the Strait of Malacca.

Though the strait is under the administration of three countries, it is necessary to establish more effective international security cooperation because of its global significance.

As a matter of fact, a multilateral security cooperation mechanism has been in the making in recent years. The three countries with sovereign rights over the strait have agreed to welcome major powers concerned to help maintain safety by providing technology, information, funding and expertise.

A series of multi-party military exercises aimed at improving security in the strait has been staged. At the same time, a variety of bilateral, regional and international forms of cooperation has emerged. This multi-level and varied cooperation has brought about the sharing of information, technology, funding and talent.

It has also raised the countries' capabilities, thinking and vision much to the betterment of security in the strait.

Strengthening management and avoiding risks are two key aspects of efforts to secure safety in the Strait of Malacca. Avoiding risks means circumventing the strait, which requires a breakthrough in thinking as well as action.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra once proposed the construction of a Kra Land Bridge (Canal) along the famous Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand as an alternative shipping route to the Strait of Malacca.

Malaysia also suggested making a huge investment in the construction of an oil pipeline across the northern Malay Peninsula to move Middle East oil to East Asia without going through the strait.

China, which coined the term "the Malacca Predicament", has also been trying to find a way out of the predicament.

A long-time supporter of efforts to maintain security by the three countries with sovereign rights in the strait, China has been strengthening cooperation with each of them. The country has responded actively to their call for participation of major powers in the multilateral security mechanism in ways acceptable to them and joined a number of regional as well as international regimens.

In addition, China has made quite a few unprecedented moves, such as the construction of the China-Myanmar oil pipeline designed to decrease its dependence on the strait.

Particularly noteworthy is the overseas mission of PLA Navy Frigate Xiangfan May 15 to 20. Xiangfan joined 15 warships from 11 other countries to hold naval exercises with such objectives as "defense against threats by small boats", "navigating through mined water", "maritime search and rescue" and "ship-borne weapons firing practice".

This is the first time the Chinese Navy has taken part in a multilateral military exercise under the framework of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium.

The predicament rises and ebbs with the winds in the Strait of Malacca as well as the treacherous international politics. But, from a rational point of view, we should realize the "predicament" indicates the significance of the strait to world energy security.

It inspires countries, including China, to cooperate and innovate to gain benefits while avoiding pitfalls. In this sense the Strait of Malacca is a good place.

The author is head of the Southeast Asia and Oceania Studies Division of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

(China Daily May 25, 2007)