DEFENCE WHITE PAPER 56. Continental Roots. Emphasising the maritime domain is not to neglect Malaysia’s continental stakes. Indeed, while land-based resources, consisting of critical resources and assets may bring risks, they are also a source of solution. The external threats and challenges stem from continental and maritime as well as airspace origins, historically, presently and into the future. The resolve to promote regional integration and to pursue national interests is therefore being expressed through and along our continental roots, northward to mainland Southeast Asia, as well as with potential link to different parts of Eurasia. Amongst others, Malaysia’s notable efforts were the SKRL and AMBDC in 1995 and the Malaysia-Vietnam Joint Submission on the Extended Continental Shelf in 2009. 57. More infrastructure and transport connectivity projects are expected to take place in the decades to come, necessitating more integrated efforts to protect Malaysia’s interests. This requires the MAF and security agencies to be transformed in order to confront more complex challenges that require an increase in defence capability for joint missions and operations. 58. Malaysia’s Linchpin Role. Malaysia has the capability to play three interrelated roles: bridging, building and binding. Each role adds value and options for countries around the two regions: Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean. Each serves as a catalyst for creating greater developmental and strategic opportunities for Malaysia, increasing our internal resilience and external defence partnerships over the long run. Each leverages upon Malaysia’s maritime and continental roots. i. Bridging. Geo-strategically located in the middle of Southeast Asia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and between the continental north and the maritime south, allows Malaysia to serve as a regional hub to bridge connectivity in the cultural, commercial and security spheres. This is where “shared prosperity” meets with “shared identity” and “shared security” in line with ASEAN’s aspiration. This function is similar to the Malacca Sultanate’s historical role, but in modern forms. Malaysia is able to forge connectivity and link cooperation on a wide array of activities such as handling non-traditional security threats, establishing it as a hub for maritime security around the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea, a hub for cross-regional trade and e-commerce logistics, a hub for cross-border transportation as well as for other physical connectivity. ii. Building. The second role is inviting multiple partners from both the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions to build interests and stakes in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Its strategic geographical location allows Malaysia to serve as a regional hub through building the cooperation and partnership of markets, resources and other ventures of shared interests such as the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) and World Food Programme - United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (WFP-UNHRD) in Subang as well as the International Maritime Bureau (IMB)’s office in Kuala Lumpur. Partnerships like these build shared interests, create job opportunities, mobilise resources, transfer technology, expand exports and create a niche for Malaysia’s development and strategic profile. These shared interest development can avoid dependency or dominance by the big powers. iii. Binding. The third role is coordinating engagements to initiate regularised cooperation (as opposed to ad hoc arrangements) that bind countries together. Malaysia has over the past decades succeeded in working with fellow ASEAN member states and other partners in establishing a number of institutionalised cooperative mechanisms. On the basis of these mechanisms, Malaysia could play a leading role in strengthening their linkages and exploring new institutions and cooperation for 30