‘Divide and conquer Asean’: China tries to go one on one with Malaysia to settle South China Sea disputes

China has been pushing Malaysia to solve the two countries’ South China Sea disputes in the hope of calming one of its most important neighbours.

A source familiar with China-Malaysia ties said Beijing had suggested setting up a “bilateral consultation mechanism” to discuss disputes exclusively with Malaysia – one of the more vocal claimants in the disputed waters since Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad took power last year.