Having largely lost long-time ally Philippines as an anchor to US foreign policy in the Pacific rim, a loss which comes at a critical time for the US just as China is aggressively expanding its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea, Washington is set to lose another key ally, and a critical one at that: as Reuters reports, in a "blow to the US", Malaysia's corrupt Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose involvement in the 1MBD scandal has been extensively reported by the WSJ for over a year now, will sign a contract to purchase Littoral Mission Ships from China when he visits Beijing next week, according to a Facebook posting by the country's Ministry of Defense.
The text of a speech to be delivered by Malaysian defense minister Hishammuddin Hussein appears to have been accidentally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, but was later removed after Reuters asked a defence ministry spokesman for comment.
The purchase of the patrol vessels, if it proceeds, would be Malaysia's first significant defence deal with China and comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and as the United States and China compete for influence in the region. It would also be the latest, if far more nuanced, pivot away from a US sphere of inluence in the region since Philippines' Duterte said he was severing ties with the US last week.
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