China is both the largest and the most aggressive of the claimants in the South China Sea dispute. Seeing as China is also Malaysia’s largest trading partner, Malaysia often finds itself caught between a rock and a hard place when trying to address incursions into Malaysian waters. RSIS research fellow Dr Daniel Chua at NTU, said there has always been a willingness by Malaysia to work with China. Yet, Malaysia is not afraid to back up its territorial integrity.