Between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Island, there is a long and slender waterway, which runs southeast-northwest. Its northwest end is connected with the Andaman Sea and its southeast end is connected with the South China Sea. This is the Straits of Malacca. The total length of the Strait is about l080 kilometers, with the widest point in the northwest being 370 kilometers and the narrowest point in the southeast being only 37 kilometers. The Strait of Malacca is named after the ancient coastal city of Malacca. Malacca was originally a small fishing village, located on the south bank of Malay Peninsula. From the middle of15th century, Malacca prospered, established the kingdom of Manciga and unified the Malay Peninsula. By the beginning of16th century, Malacca was already very prosperous, no less than Venice, Alexandria and Genoa at that time.
Malacca Strait is the main throat connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and it is an important sea passage between Asia, Africa, Australia and European coastal countries. Oil and strategic materials imported by many developed countries have to be shipped out through it.
The strait is located in the equatorial windless area, and there are more windless days all year round, which is conducive to navigation. The bottom of the strait is flat, mostly silt, and the water flow is gentle, which is easy to deposit. There are shoals and sandbars underwater, and ship grounding accidents occur from time to time. It is predicted that due to the rapid deposition on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, after 1000 years, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Island may be connected, and the Straits of Malacca may disappear from the earth.
Malacca Strait has a long history. Around the 4th century AD, Arabs opened a route from the Indian Ocean to China via the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. They transported China's silk, porcelain and spices from Maluku Islands to European countries such as Rome. During the 7th to 65438+5th centuries, China, Indian and Arab countries all passed through the Straits of Malacca.
/kloc-At the beginning of the 6th century, Portuguese navigators opened the Atlantic-Indian Ocean route. 1869, the Suez Canal was completed, which greatly shortened the route from Europe to the East. The number of navigable ships in the Straits of Malacca has increased dramatically. In recent years, more than 80,000 ships pass through the Strait every year, making it one of the busiest straits in the world. The coastal port of Singapore is a world-famous port with the fourth throughput in the world. The coastline of the port is three or four kilometers long and can accommodate more than 30 giant ships at the same time. With a giant dock of 400,000 tons, it can repair the world's largest supertanker.
The coast of Malacca Strait is beautiful and rich. The annual average temperature is above 25℃, and the annual rainfall is about 3000mm. There are tropical jungles all over the banks, and evergreen trees as high as 60 meters can be seen everywhere. All kinds of vines, such as tight encirclement, are intertwined among giant trees. Both sides are also important producers of tropical rubber, tin and oil. Penang in the northwest has beautiful scenery and is known as the "Oriental Pearl".
Singapore, a country at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is called the "Lion City". Singapore borders the Strait to the south and is the throat between the South China Sea, the Java Sea and the Straits of Malacca. The Republic of Singapore consists of 54 islands and 9 coral reefs. Surrounded by the sea, the temperature is high but not hot, dense forests, green grasslands, carefully beautified environment and orderly management. We can say that Singapore is a beautiful garden city.
geographical position
Malacca Strait (English: Malacca Strait; ; Malay: Malacca Strait is a strait between Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Island.
The Strait of Malacca is southeast-northwest. Its northwest end is connected with the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean, and its southeast end is connected with the South China Sea. The total length of the Strait is about l080, the widest in the northwest is 370km, the narrowest in the southeast is only 37km, and the water depth is 25 to150m. It is an international waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and it is also the crossroads of Asia and Oceania.
Malacca Strait is named after Malacca, the ancient city of Malaysia. The Strait is now controlled by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The strait is located in the equatorial windless zone, and there are more windless days all year round. The bottom of the strait is flat, mostly sediment, and the water flow is gentle.
At the eastern end of the Straits of Malacca, there is Singapore, a big port in the world, with busy shipping. About 654.38 million ships (mostly oil tankers) pass through the strait every year. Most of the Japanese oil purchased from the Middle East is transported to China through here.
Important significance
(1) Economic situation
Malacca Strait is an important international waterway, both economically and militarily. The importance can be compared with Suez Canal or Panama Canal.
Malacca Strait is an important waterway between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, connecting three populous countries in the world: China, India and Indonesia. In addition, it is also an important channel for oil to flow from West Asia to East Asia. Japan, an economic power, often calls the Straits of Malacca its "lifeline".
About 50,000 ships pass through the Straits of Malacca every year. With the rise of China's economy, it is estimated that this number will double in 20 years. It accounts for one-fifth to one-quarter of the world's maritime trade. A quarter of the world's oil tankers pass through the Straits of Malacca. For example, in 2003, it was estimated that 65,438+0,065,438+0,000,000 barrels of oil (about 65,438+0,700,000 m3) passed through the Straits of Malacca every day.
(2) Strategic significance
1. Coastal countries
Countries along the Straits of Malacca include Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Among them, India and Malaysia have always opposed the intervention of external forces in the Straits of Malacca, believing that this would be a violation of their sovereignty.
All along, these three coastal countries have followed three principles when dealing with Malacca Strait affairs:
Coastal countries have sovereignty over the affiliated sea areas and have the obligation to maintain safety.
Recognize the interests of relevant big countries in the region.
All actions must respect national sovereignty and be based on international law.
The three coastal countries signed the Convention on the Straits of Malacca on19711,opposing the "internationalization" of the Straits and declaring that the three countries are in charge of Straits affairs.
Experts believe that the three coastal countries will selectively accept the help of big countries, but only provide low-level and indirect help such as equipment, backup and training, which can only indirectly help strengthen the patrol capability of the Straits, thus effectively controlling and reducing the occurrence of pirates and terrorist attacks, instead of letting big countries directly intervene in the affairs of the Straits of Malacca.
2. People's Republic of China (PRC)
85% of People's Republic of China (PRC)'s oil is transported by water. It needs to pass through the Straits of Malacca.
On April 20, 2006, Malaysian Minister of Communications Chen said in the Star that frequent piracy in the Straits of Malacca has increased people's concerns about the danger of terrorist attacks in the Straits. During Chen's recent visit to Beijing, the security of Malacca Strait was one of the main topics discussed by both sides.
China offered to help strengthen security in the Straits of Malacca. The assistance will take the form of exchanging information and sending experts to train Malaysian maritime personnel. The Malaysian government has agreed to the memorandum of understanding on maritime cooperation between the two countries proposed by China. At the end of April of the same year, the Malaysian government will send a group of experts to China to discuss the details of the memorandum.
3. America
Due to the important position of the Straits of Malacca, the United States has been exaggerating the serious threat of piracy and terrorism in the Straits of Malacca in recent years to intervene in the Straits of Malacca.
In June 2005, when US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld attended the 4th Asian Security Conference in Singapore, he repeatedly mentioned that the naval forces of coastal countries could not cope with piracy and terrorist attacks, hoping that the US military could be stationed in the region. He also said that the United States is willing to form a joint patrol with coastal countries to ensure the security of the Malacca Strait, but Malaysia and Indonesia refused.
Some experts believe that the United States intervened in the Straits of Malacca to curb the rise of China.