China’s Defence Minister Visited Malaysia Days Ago, But Why Didn’t We Know About It?

On Monday (7 September), China’s defence minister, Wei Fenghe, paid a visit to Kuala Lumpur in efforts to monitor US influence in ASEAN countries as tensions rise in the South China Sea. However, there was a noticeable lack of coverage concerning the visit on news portals.

It seems as though the public only just recently became aware of this visit when a netizen’s tweet calling out the lack of media reporting on the incident went viral today (9 September).

According to an article posted by South China Morning Post, the Defence Minister, Wei, told Malaysian Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, that China was willing to work with ASEAN countries such as Malaysia “to meet each other halfway” and maintain peace in the waterway. Muhyiddin said Malaysia was willing to work with China and strengthen ties in all fields, including defence, trade and education.

The stability of the South China Sea was said to be a shared responsibility between Malaysia and China, added Wei. But that’s not all. Wei also met with Malaysian Defence Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob and said that China was committed to solidifying defence cooperation between both countries and developing military ties.

In the article, it was said that Malaysia “plays host to Chinese warships and submarines on quite a regular basis, except that the local media rarely highlights the news due to sensitivity.” And it seems as though the absence of local news reports on the Chinese Defence Minister’s visit is starting to be noticed by both politicians and netizens.

Batu Kawan MP, Kasthuri Patto, retweeted the netizen’s viral tweet about the issue.

Former Defence Minister, Liew Chin Thong, even said that journalists questioned the occurrence of a “media blackout” during the official visit of China’s Defence Minister. He said, “I can only express my surprise at the action taken by the government.”

Wartawan turut bertanya tentang ‘media blackout’ terhadap lawatan rasmi Menteri Pertahanan Republik Rakyat China ke Malaysia dua hari lalu. Saya hanya mampu menyatakan kehairanan terhadap tindakan terbabit oleh pihak kerajaan.

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— Liew Chin Tong (@LiewChinTong) September 9, 2020

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