KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 (Reuters) - Malaysia said on Saturday it was firmly committed to protecting its sovereign rights and interests in the South China Sea after China expressed concern about Malaysian energy projects in a part of the sea that China also claims. China stakes its claim with a reference to a "nine-dash line" on its maps, which loops as far as 1,500 km south of its mainland, cutting into the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays