Malaysia has a new ambassador from Beijing. How will he handle their South China Sea dispute?

Ouyang Yujing’s appointment could mean ‘more authoritative decisions’ over the countries’ overlapping claims in the waterway

The 55-year-old is described as being ‘thoroughly experienced’ in land border and maritime affairs, and will also seek to boost the countries’ trade relationship

Reading Time:3 minutes

Ouyang Yujing, China's new ambassador to Malaysia, arrives at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Photo: China Embassy of PRC in Malaysia

Published: 7:01pm, 21 Dec 2020Updated: 10:28pm, 21 Dec 2020

The extensive maritime affairs experience of China’s new ambassador to Malaysia has attracted the attention of analysts, who say Ouyang Yujing’s appointment could mean “more authoritative decisions” over the countries’ South China Sea dispute.

The former director general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of China’s foreign affairs ministry, Ouyang, 55, was described by Beijing watchers as a seasoned and capable official.

“He is thoroughly experienced in both land border and maritime affairs,” said Ngeow Chow Bing, director of the University of Malaya’s Institute of China Studies. “With this background, it can be expected that he would want to engage Malaysia on South China Sea affairs, perhaps to reinvigorate the bilateral mechanism that was reportedly agreed upon in 2019.”

Ouyang, who replaces former ambassador Bai Tian, has extensive involvement in China’s land-border negotiation work with Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as border trade negotiations with Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

The most striking difference between Ouyang and his predecessor, Ngeow said, was that Bai was seen as more of a “generalist” while Ouyang “is more a specialist kind. Ouyang is also older and more senior than [49-year-old Bai], and has a more complete CV. He can make more authoritative decisions as an ambassador.”

The ambassador served in the boundary and ocean affairs department during China’s dispute with the Philippines over the South China Sea that was taken to the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016. The arbitration ruling invalidated many of China’s claims in the waterway, though Beijing has rejected it.

Ouyang in 2016 during his time as director general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: AP

Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Ouyang told reporters Malaysia had a “diverse, inclusive culture and a warm and friendly people”, according to local newspaper The Star, and said he would be working to deepen bilateral ties between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing while the two continued to work together to counter challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the global economic downturn.