Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah Malaysia said that the country needs to increase its naval capacity to prepare for the risk of conflict in the South China Sea.

"The Malaysian naval warships are now smaller than the Chinese maritime vessels. We do not want the conflict to occur, but the forces need to be upgraded to better manage the waters when the conflict breaks out." South China Sea, "Foreign Minister Saifuddin said today in a questioning session of the Malaysian parliament.

He said Kuala Lumpur could send a diplomatic note to protest if the country violated territorial waters, but the lack of naval facilities and law enforcement forces at sea would put the country at a disadvantage if conflict broke out.

The Malaysian navy is struggling to keep up with the Chinese landscape, its presence is constantly in Luconia Shoal, about 100 km off the coast of Sarawak state in Malaysia and more than 2,000 km from mainland China.

Kuala Lumpur has repeatedly criticized Beijing's illegal claim to sovereignty over the South China Sea, but has recently eased after China invested billions of dollars in Malaysia's infrastructure projects. The two countries agreed in September to establish a joint dialogue on the South China Sea as Beijing seeks to resolve maritime disputes on a bilateral path.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has admitted that the country is not strong enough to confront Beijing, even if China illegally deploys oil survey ships in Malaysian waters.

Foreign Minister Saifuddin affirmed that Malaysia would maintain the view of not militarizing the South China Sea, while calling for ASEAN to have a unified approach to relations with the US and China. "The South China Sea should not become a confrontation hot spot between nations," he added.

Location of Luconia Shoals. Graphics: ABC News.