Malaysia's spat with Philippines over Sabah: Five things to know

Tensions add further complication to sovereignty issues in South China Sea

20200928 Kota Kinabalu, in Malaysia's Sabah state

People cast votes at a polling station during state elections in the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island on Sept. 26. © AP

FRANCESCA REGALADO, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- A 60-year-old dispute over the sovereignty of Sabah, Malaysia's second largest state, has recently reignited, creating tensions between Kuala Lumpur and Manila and adding a further complication to the many sovereignty issues in the South China Sea.

It began as a diplomatic spat on Twitter. "Sabah is not in Malaysia," Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. tweeted in July, replying to a message by the U.S. Embassy in Manila about donations to Filipinos repatriated from Sabah.

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