After more than 40 years of maritime tension, Malaysia and Indonesia are charting a new course in one of Southeast Asia’s most contested waters. On June 20, 2025, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to jointly develop the Sulu-Celebes Seas, a border area long marked by competing claims and untapped potential.
Stretching across 15,000 square kilometers, the disputed zone is estimated to hold 764 million barrels of oil and 39.6 billion cubic meters of gas. But beyond resource potential, the agreement signals something bigger: a rare moment of pragmatism in Southeast Asia’s often fraught maritime politics.
"While waiting for the legal settlement, we want to start economic cooperation," said Prabowo at a joint press conference in Jakarta.
Ibrahim added that both of their countries should "take advantage of this time to get results to benefit both countries."
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