US, Malaysia to promote maritime relations

Malaysia and the United States will promote their maritime relations by more visits of U.S. naval ships to the Southeast Asian country in the future, said Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Abdul Aziz Jaafar after meeting his U.S. counterpart Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert here on Tuesday. "Since 2008 to the end of last year, 132 U.S. naval ships have called at Malaysian ports such as Pulau Indah and Kota Kinabalu," he said, adding that the two countries' defense relations will be further strengthened. Greenert, on his first visit to Malaysia as the U.S. Navy chief, ensured Aziz U.S. commitment to Malaysia's national security, saying that Malaysia need not feel insecure about defending itself should the need arise, according to the report of New Straits Times, an English newspaper in Malaysia. He also said his country appreciated what Malaysia had done over the years in ensuring maritime security in Southeast Asia. During the meeting, they also discussed various issues like potential submarine operations, maritime security issues and a report of an alleged shooting incident by the Chinese navy while patrolling the South China Sea recently