BANGKOK, April 23 -- The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed Asian policymakers to confront renewed questions over the security of other major maritime chokepoints, including the Strait of Malacca, the world's busiest waterway for international trade.

What is the Malacca Strait?

The 900km Strait of Malacca, bordered by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, provides the shortest sea route linking East Asia with the Middle East and Europe.

It carries nearly 22 per cent of global maritime trade, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, including oil and gas shipments from the Middle East to China, Japan and South Korea.

The waterway is the world's largest oil transit chokepoint, surpassing Hormuz, ac...