Located just 50 kilometres from the northern tip of Sabah, the Philippine island of Balabak is undergoing a military expansion, including a 3KM airstrip accessible to US forces under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
Dato' Dr Ilango Karuppannan, former Malaysian ambassador and adjunct senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), joins The Morning Brief on The Morning Run to unpack the development.
He explains why the primary concern lies in indirect economic disruption and diplomatic coercion rather than a direct military strike, how an enhanced naval presence could also deter regional piracy, and what happens to Balabak's infrastructure if shifting geopolitical tides leave it entirely in Manila's hands.
Drawing on past precedents like the Proliferation Security Initiative, he examines whether Malaysia's non-aligned stance can withstand direct superpower confrontation.
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