Editing Strait of Malacca (section)

=== Sovereignty versus cooperation ===
Efforts to enhance maritime security in the region are often caught in the struggle between state sovereignty and the need to further international security cooperation. The states bordering the Strait of Malacca have historically been reluctant to surrender some of their sovereign control over their territorial waters and [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ), especially related to safe and free passage of ships, where they are not allowed to interfere.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Permal & Moorthy |first=Sumathy & Ravichandran |date=June 25, 2024 |title=Nuancing Maritime Security Governance in the Straits of Malacca: A Comparative Analysis on Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. |url=https://doi.org/10.17576/jebat.2024.5103.02 |journal=Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics & Strategic Studies |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=273–292}}</ref> This reluctance has impeded more integrated efforts.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Setiawan & Padilla |first=Arifin & Agustin Maciel |date=February 26, 2025 |title=Addressing Maritime Secuirty Threats in the Malacca Strait: A Malaysian Perspective |url=https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2025.132021 |journal=Open Journal of Social Sciences |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=333–359}}</ref>

Regional cooperation such as with the Cooperative Mechanism have contributed to reducing security threats and pollution, but in order to maintain and have consistent security in the region, greater coordination is needed between the states of the Strait of Malacca to secure the maritime domain.<ref name=":4" />