Malaysia raises Sabah concerns over Philippine Balabac base
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- Anwar Ibrahim expressed concern over the US-backed Philippine military base on Balabac island near Sabah at an Aug 18 budget event in Putrajaya, citing the long-running territorial dispute over Sabah as a direct factor.
- The Philippines is upgrading Balabac into a forward operating base with a 3km airstrip, one of nine sites covered by the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that grants US forces access and Washington-funded infrastructure.
- Anwar said Malaysia cannot match the scale of facilities on Balabac but must strengthen its basic defensive capabilities — a move he warned could require hundreds of millions or billions of ringgit in additional spending.
- Despite the Sabah dispute, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed on Aug 18 to deepen cooperation on security and economic issues, underscoring generally close bilateral ties.
- During May's Balikatan drills, US, Philippine and Australian forces practised seizing and holding Balabac's airfield, with US HIMARS rocket launchers deployed and live-fire strikes conducted against simulated maritime targets.
- Washington said in 2023 it planned to allocate more than US$100 million for EDCA infrastructure investments across the nine designated Philippine sites.
- In 2013, armed followers of a self-proclaimed Sulu sultanate heir invaded eastern Sabah to press the historic claim, triggering a standoff and fighting that lasted more than a month — a precedent Anwar's remarks implicitly echo.
Why it matters: Anwar explicitly tied Malaysia's defence spending to US-China competition playing out on its doorstep — a rare Southeast Asian leader publicly linking a bilateral territorial spat with great-power tensions. With Balabac's 3km airstrip roughly 20 minutes from Banggi island and Balikatan drills already rehearsing airfield seizures, Malaysia is signalling it cannot rely on neutrality and must fund baseline deterrence. The pledge lands as Anwar's ruling coalition faces setbacks in state elections, raising the domestic cost of inaction.
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