evidence: The ongoing dispute over territorial waters off Tuas began on October 25, when the Malaysian government unilaterally extended the limits of Johor Bahru port eastward beyond Malaysia’s 1979 territorial sea claim into Singaporean waters. Singapore has actively patrolled its territorial waters since 1999, in accordance with the map published by Malaysia in 1979. Since October 25, Singaporean officials have called repeatedly for Malaysia to cease the deployment of vessels into its territorial waters, stating that the intrusions are in violation of its territory and sovereignty. As of December 12, one Malaysian ship remains in the disputed waters. [...] In response, Singapore has adopted strong rhetoric against Malaysia due to the importance of water security and need to protect Singapore’s territorial boundaries, specifically the reclamation works within its borders. Malaysia regularly hampers such projects by claiming that these works take place in Malaysia’s territory. Moreover, the price of imported water is an existential concern for Singapore as the country is dependent on imports from Malaysia to satisfy around half of its current water needs. The underlying motivation of Singapore’s strong rhetoric against Malaysia, however, is driven by the fact that as a small state, Singapore has to emphasize and ensure that countries adhere to an regime that is based on international law and norms. Singapore simply cannot allow the principle of state sovereignty to be violated, lest it encourage future transgressions by its larger neighbors. [...] The ongoing disputes over the territorial waters off Tuas and the airspace over southern Johor will be discussed in a bilateral meeting that has been set for the second week of January 2019.