preview

Maritime Collaboration to Locate the Missing Malaysian Airliner on the Edge of the South China Sea

Better Essays

1.0 Introduction

“A multinational effort to track down a missing Malaysian airliner on the edge of the South China Sea is turning into a rare example of maritime collaboration among countries embroiled in territorial disputes in the region.” (Chun et al., 2014) An expert on international security issues quoted in The Wall Street Journal (2014), “Nonetheless, it's also a good example of regional cooperation on a multinational rescue operation”, adding on that the example could be a good model for the future.

It took the world by surprise when Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 bound for Beijing went missing on 7th March 2014. Many were in shock, and the families of the 227 passengers and 12 crew were grieved stricken as there was still no news of the missing plane six days into the search and rescue (SAR). Nevertheless, Malaysia is blessed to have so many countries that joined in the SAR operations. The United States of America, Vietnam, Singapore, China, New Zealand, among others, deployed resources such as aircrafts, ships, satellites and helicopters to aid in the SAR to locate the missing plane.

The above case is depicted in this paper, because in essence, it showcases why foreign affairs and, maintaining bilateral and multilateral relationships are vital for any country. From a political perspective, such relationships are the main concern of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In Malaysia, The Ministry has been mandated to pursue the nation’s foreign

Get Access