Chapter 4: Sabah and the United States — Strategic Corridor, Military Base, and China's Deterrence

"Sometimes, nations are not colonised because they are weak. They are colonised because they are too strategic to be left alone."

Sabah, often perceived merely as a state at the eastern edge of Malaysia, is now on the brink of a global power struggle. This is no longer about historical claims but about military strategy, control over maritime routes, and the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region.

Sabah has transformed from a matter of heritage claims or colonial-era treaties into a critical point in the modern power contest, particularly between the United States and China. These two nations are vying for dominance over trade routes, military control, and economic influence in the Asia-Pacific. Here, every port can become a military entry point, every airport a base, and every investment agreement a potential step toward a new form of colonisation.

The United States is making its move, not with bombs and troops as in conventional wars, but through aid packages, defence cooperation, joint training, and seemingly friendly agreements laden with hidden interests. Sabah is being approached not through open warfare but through more subtle and systematic measures, channelled via diplomacy and soft influence, under the guise of regional modernisation and security.

America and the Fear of China

Today, the United States is no longer an unchallenged superpower. It is an empire in its twilight, facing escalating internal pressures and mounting external challenges. Among all the emerging contenders of the 21st century, China stands as the only true rival capable of undermining America's global dominance in economics, technology, military, and international influence.

Historically, when two great powers collide, the real battles often begin not with full-scale wars but in peripheral areas — strategic regions that serve as testing grounds for strength and influence. Today, the South China Sea has become the primary battleground between these two giants. This area is not just ordinary waters; it is a global trade route, an energy supply corridor, a repository of natural resources, and, more importantly, a domain of information control, technology, and military diplomacy.

China has not waited idly. Over the past decade, it has constructed artificial islands, built airstrips, deployed missiles, and expanded its naval fleet to unprecedented levels. They understand that to contain America, they must dominate this region both physically and psychologically. Meanwhile, the United States is striving to encircle China from all directions, establishing military bases in Japan and South Korea, airbases in Guam, and military cooperation with Taiwan and Australia.

Despite these strengths, America faces a significant problem: it lacks a legitimate and unrestricted launch point near the South China Sea, akin to Diego Garcia. While the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean allows the U.S. to conduct large-scale operations in West and South Asia, its distance from Southeast Asia makes responses to conflicts in the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait slower and more logistically taxing.

What America needs now is a "new Diego Garcia" on the western Pacific side, and Sabah offers all the necessary features: strategic location, infrastructure facilities, potential ports and airfields, and domestic political vulnerabilities that can be exploited through economic pressure or internal crises.

Therefore, the United States is seeking an alternative location that is strategic, legally sound under international law, and close enough to counterbalance China's power. This location must be politically stable, low-risk for domestic conflict, have upgradable infrastructure, and, most importantly, remain under the radar of public attention.

Here, Sabah emerges as the most logical and discreet choice.

Why Is Sabah So Valuable to America?

Sabah is not only rich in natural resources like oil, natural gas, timber, and unique biodiversity. Its true value lies in its strategic location, making it more valuable than just fertile land or a tourist destination. On military and geostrategic maps, Sabah is a hidden gem with the potential to become the most ideal forward base for the United States in Southeast Asia, especially in efforts to contain China's rise.

Key factors that make Sabah highly valuable include:

• Proximity to the Philippines and the Sulu Sea: Sabah is just across the Sulu Sea, a hotspot for piracy, militants, and cross-border smuggling networks. A monitoring base in Sabah would provide the U.S. with advantages in intelligence operations and regional security control, not only to curb militants but also to monitor military movements and foreign vessels traversing this zone.

• Facing the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands: Sabah's direct orientation towards the South China Sea makes it an ideal point to access the most critical disputed areas between China and ASEAN countries. From Sabah, any military movement or maritime activity in the Spratlys can be monitored, challenged, or supported promptly.

• Situated between the Makassar Strait, the Pacific Ocean, and the Strait of Malacca: Sabah serves as a junction of three strategic global sea routes — westward to the Indian Ocean, eastward to the Pacific, and southward to Australia and the Sunda Strait. This positions Sabah as a crucial logistical route not only for trade but also for military operations and emergency support in the event of conflict.

• Network of ports and airports that can be upgraded: While Sabah currently lacks large military bases like Diego Garcia or Guam, its existing port and airport infrastructure can be easily upgraded into military support facilities. With minimal investment and "development" cooperation, forward bases can be established without disrupting the civilian population or triggering open protests.

All these factors make Sabah the best candidate for a new U.S. base that functions not only to protect America's regional interests but also to exert psychological and physical pressure on China.

Quietly, Sabah is the modern 'Pearl Harbor' of Southeast Asia. If it falls into the hands of foreign powers, it will become the most critical vulnerability point. It is a spot that will determine whether Southeast Asia remains a bastion of defense or becomes the next battlefield for proxy wars.

Agreement Scenario: When Malaysia Is Weak

Imagine a scenario — not entirely implausible — where Malaysia is hit by a series of major disasters at once. A dam collapses. Floods cripple major cities. Earthquakes destroy infrastructure. The nation’s communication and logistics systems fail. The economy crashes. The stock market plunges. The ringgit loses its value. Citizens are hungry and anxious. The government is directionless, burdened by debt and trapped in political turmoil. Amid this chaos, comes an offer from a 'saviour' — the United States.

“We are ready to help Sabah recover with a multi-billion-dollar investment package. We only need a special military corridor, a logistics zone, and a humanitarian operations center in Sabah. We will fully fund it. There will be no interference in your internal policies. No disruption to your citizens. Everything is for regional security and disaster recovery.”

To a people who have lost their homes, food, and livelihoods, and to a government desperate for recovery funds, this offer will seem like a lifeline from heaven. The international media will applaud America's humanitarianism. NGOs will flood in. The UN will issue statements of support. It will appear as though the world is united to save Malaysia. But in truth, what is being "saved" is a strategic gateway for foreign influence to enter — legally.

As history has shown, no foreign investment ever comes without a cost. The documents, the agreements, the MoUs, and regulations will be neatly packaged, signed off under the name of national emergency, and passed as if they were completely transparent.

But the real cost will not be in money. It will be in sovereignty.

The so-called logistics corridor will quietly become a military base. Communication centers will be externally controlled. Every port, radar system, and undersea cable will be monitored. And one by one, pieces of the nation’s autonomy will vanish — not because they were taken by force, but because they were given away during a moment of desperation.

And when the people finally realise what has happened, it will be too late. For enemies who enter through the front door with an invitation are much harder to remove than those who storm the gates in battle.

China Will Not Remain Silent

If a foreign military base, especially one owned by the United States, is built in Sabah, even under the pretense of humanitarian aid or disaster recovery, China will not remain silent. From their perspective, this would be a clear act of provocation. It is not simply the presence of enemy forces in Southeast Asia, but a symbol of strategic encirclement around China itself.

In Chinese military philosophy dating back to Sun Tzu,

"Encirclement is not something to tolerate."

It is an insult that demands a strong response. Encirclement must be broken, dismantled or destroyed before it becomes a noose. History teaches them that allowing foreign bases to be established near their borders is the beginning of a slow erosion of sovereignty and national dignity.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 is a classic example of how an Asian power responded to American military encroachment. Japan believed that its oil supply routes to Southeast Asia were at risk, and thus targeted Pearl Harbor because it housed America’s main Pacific fleet. The goal was not to conquer Hawaii but to send a message — they would not submit to strangulation.

“If you cannot control it, destroy it.”

This same principle could apply to China today. If Sabah becomes a legal and operational base for U.S. forces, China will view it as a direct threat to its strategic defense posture. In such a scenario, they may not choose diplomatic pressure as their response. Instead, they may opt for military action under the doctrine of pre-emptive deterrence.

There is no need for a formal declaration of war. A series of targeted actions would be enough — drone strikes, ballistic missile attacks or cyber sabotage. All China needs is to demonstrate that Sabah has become a legitimate target in a global conflict, and everything within it is subject to collateral consequences.

At that moment, Sabah will no longer be a domestic issue for Malaysia. It will transform into a pawn on the global chessboard between two world powers. Malaysians will become passive observers as their land is turned into someone else's battleground.

China’s Deterrence Strategy Against Sabah

If China truly sees Sabah as a threat to its regional security and strategic dominance in the Asia Pacific, its retaliation will not come in the form of a formally declared war. It will arrive silently, precisely, and with powerful impact through a deterrence strategy designed to disable the opponent before it can make a move.

China knows that a direct attack could provoke global condemnation, but it also knows that destabilising Sabah in a calculated manner can erode confidence and fracture the target nation from within.

Here are some of the most likely forms of deterrent actions:

• Large-scale cyberattacks on Malaysia’s digital infrastructure. China possesses one of the world’s most advanced cyber warfare units. They can target air traffic control systems, banking infrastructure, energy grids, and government communications with just a few lines of code. This can cripple the nation digitally within 24 hours. Such disruption would be enough to induce panic, delay military coordination, and plunge Malaysia into administrative chaos.

• Destruction of undersea communication cables. Sabah lies close to key global communication cable routes. A targeted undersea operation could sever Malaysia’s internet and communication links with the outside world. In modern warfare, cutting off communication is one of the most lethal silent attacks that can disable defense systems and fracture national coordination.

• Preemptive strike on military facilities in Sabah. If U.S. troops are permanently stationed in Sabah, China may consider an early offensive to neutralise those facilities before they become active threats. This could involve precision missile strikes, designed to avoid civilian areas but still deliver a clear warning that Sabah is now a legitimate battlefield in a larger war.

• Internal political manipulation through funding, media, and soft power. China excels at internal influence. It can fund pro-China political figures, control narratives through social media propaganda, and expand influence through economic investment and education. If China succeeds in planting the idea that America is the new coloniser while China is the regional protector, then a significant portion of the population — especially among the Chinese diaspora — may shift allegiance without a single shot fired.

• Naval intervention and partial blockade in Sabah’s waters. By deploying warships around Sabah, conducting patrols, or questioning passing cargo ships, China could pressure Malaysia into submission. If Malaysia shows weakness, the world will see that Sabah has effectively come under China’s sphere of influence. If Malaysia retaliates, China will have a pretext to escalate tension further. This is psychological warfare, a high-stakes gamble to test resolve.

All of these can be executed without a single formal declaration of war. No proclamations. No United Nations resolutions. But the entire country would feel the shockwaves — from the screen of a smartphone to the halls of national power.

And ultimately, China’s goal may not even be to conquer Sabah. It would be enough if the world recognises that Sabah is no longer safe for Western bases. That alone would be China’s strategic victory.

Sabah and the End Times — A Moment That Draws Near

What is happening today is not merely a territorial contest between modern nation-states. It runs much deeper than that. It is the beginning of the final chapter in the history of the Nusantara region and the Islamic world. Every movement, every strategic map, every investment and agreement that appears ordinary is actually pointing toward a confrontation foretold in numerous narrations and signs of the end times.

In many authentic hadiths and classical interpretations, it is mentioned that the final revival of this ummah will come from the East. A group will rise — a force, a wave — carrying black banners, emerging from a land the world does not expect. But before they rise, the Muslim world will first face collapse on an unprecedented scale. Territories will fall. Leaders will fail. Systems will crumble. The ummah will become weak, confused, and fragmented.

“True revival only begins when nothing is left to defend except faith held tightly in blood and tears.”

Sabah may seem like a domestic issue — a legal dispute or a series of diplomatic incidents. But when seen with the eyes of the heart and not just through news reports, it becomes clear that Sabah is a symbol. It is the last frontier between colonisation and revival. If we allow Sabah to slip into foreign hands, not through war but through tribunals, agreements, economic pressure or external aid, then we are not just losing a piece of land. We are surrendering the very centre of the Nusantara, the region fated to rise again in the final days.

And the saddest part is, it may all happen without a single bullet fired.

Just as Palestine was lost piece by piece, as Singapore slipped away without a war, and as Andalusia fell while the ummah was asleep, it is entirely possible that Sabah too may be lost — simply because we failed to understand its importance to the final map of the end times.

Sabah is not just a state within Malaysia. It is the knot of the region, the point of balance for power, and the final bastion before the entire Nusantara falls formally into foreign hands. If it is lost, it will not just signify the loss of territory. It will mark the loss of the ummah’s final opportunity to rise from the East as foretold.

Conclusion — Stronghold or Snare?

Sabah now stands at the most critical crossroads in its history. It could become a stronghold of dignity or a snare of destruction. It could be the place where the ummah rises, or it could become the backdoor through which foreign powers tighten their grip on the region. Everything depends on who holds the key. Not the physical key, but the key of awareness, courage, and faith.

If we remain ignorant, silent, and continue to treat Sabah as just another faraway state with a border issue, then it will become the quiet entry point for proxy wars that will engulf Southeast Asia. And by the time we realise what is happening, it may be too late because the first bullet will not come from the sky, but from a mind that has already been conquered.

But if we awaken, unite, and reassess every diplomatic move and strategic agreement made today, we still have a chance to turn Sabah into the final fortress of Nusantara’s dignity — a place where the enemy’s plans are thwarted and the spirit of the East is reignited.

“Not all colonisation comes with invasions. Some arrive with smiles, with agreements, and with disaster relief funds.”

“And while we are busy welcoming them as saviours, our land has already been mortgaged.”

“Not because we lost the war, but because we failed to read the game.”

This chapter is not the end. It is a reminder that Sabah will serve as evidence of whether we are a people who defend our final land or the last ones to sign it away.