Foreign Minister Penny Wong has not ruled out the possibility of Australia increasing its sea patrols in the South China Sea with the United States and Japan.
Speaking to reporters at the ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, on July 22, Wong said that stability in the South China Sea is “critical” to the region’s stability.
“That is something I’m sure we should all keep in mind,” she told reporters.
“We are concerned about some of the aggression we are seeing, we are concerned about some of the destabilising conduct we are seeing, and the countries of the region have a choice to make about how we all respond to that.
Wong’s remarks came in response to a reporter’s question about whether Australia could conduct more regular regional sea patrols alongside the United States and Japan following China’s launch of nuclear-capable missiles.
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“We are increasing our maritime cooperation, and you might be aware that one of my first events here was an announcement of additional funding with your Coast Guard where we are contributing more on drones and other mechanisms to try and improve maritime domain awareness,” she said.
Meanwhile, Beijing has hit back at Wong’s comments, saying that Australia was not a party to the South China Sea issue, and had no right to intervene.
Additionally, in a statement published by Chinese state media, Wong reportedly said that Australia should uphold the principle of “non-interference in internal affairs and abandon double standards.”
Wong Voices Concerns With Chinese Counterpart
“We want to continue to engage because we believe that is in our national interest,” she said.
“You speak about the importance of mutual understanding. I agree, and I expect we will discuss our concerns today, including around peace and stability in our region, safe and professional military conduct, and the importance of transparency and reassurance of intent, as well as the issues of consular, human rights and other bilateral and regional matters.”
The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for comment.
Wong Reaffirms Strategic Relationship with US
Wong reaffirmed Australia’s relationships with the United States and other regional partners.
“We have a strong relationship with Japan, with the Republic of Korea, and we signed a treaty on common security with Indonesia. So, we are really working hard across a range of areas to secure stability and peace, which is what we all want.”
Wong said that while Australia’s relationship with its largest trading partner, China, is important, it is necessary to be clear about areas of disagreement while maintaining dialogue with Beijing.
At the same time, she noted that ASEAN, which comprises 11 Southeast Asian countries, is geographically central to the region.
“When we say we support ASEAN centrality, it’s not just an abstract concept. If you’re in Australia, you look up, it is ASEAN at the centre of our region. And stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific requires a strong ASEAN at its core,” Wong said.
“We see greater geopolitical contest; we see behaviour which is destabilising. We see a lot of challenges for peace and security.”
