Malaysia’s Oil Play Under China’s Shadow

Back in 2019, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines famously banned DreamWorks’ and Pearl Studio’s joint film Abominable from cinemas for featuring a scene with a map of China's controversial U-shaped nine-dash line, China’s symbolic claim to sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea. China’s territorial claims to roughly 90% of the South China Sea, including the Paracel and Spratly Islands, encompasses both naturally formed and artificial islands, as well as areas China deems "historic waters". However, a 2016…