ABSTRACT
In 2019, Malaysia declared itself as a maritime nation and set out policies and strategies to secure its interest as a maritime nation. Malaysia's maritime interests are to a large extent dictated by its geographical location and covers economic, security, strategic, and socio-cultural areas. Before the declaration of ‘Malaysia as a maritime nation’, Malaysia has already put into place strategies and implemented policies aimed to secure its maritime economy and blue security interests. These measures enabled Malaysia to promote and consolidate its maritime economy and deal with maritime security problems. However, many challenges remain, which must be overcome by the Malaysian government if it is to make progress in these areas and fulfil its maritime nation aspiration. To cope with these challenges, Malaysia sought to strengthen its own capabilities and re-organised its security related agencies to streamline their tasks for more efficacity. It has also established cooperation with neighbouring countries to facilitate and add effectiveness in mitigating issues and problems related to maritime security. The paper aims to identify Malaysia's key maritime interests and priorities as well strategies employed to secure and safeguard them.
