The aim of this article is to assess Malaysia’s approach to the presence of the u.s., and China in the South China Sea. Malaysia’s strategy is directed at avoiding being entwined in big power rivalry. However, reality dictates that regional powers, such as Malaysia, have to carefully strategize their links with larger powers in order to secure their rights over the natural resources that are available there, as well as to prevent the militarization of energy security. The hypothesis of this article is that the re-orientation of the re-militarization of energy security in the South China Sea has changed the geopolitical motives of the players, mainly the u.s., and China, to a neoclassical realist forward approach. We conclude that Malaysia’s “hedging” role in the South China Sea is motivated by the potential conflict for hegemony and energy security between the u.s. and China.