The Australian reported this morning:
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has refused to say if she supports the Trump administration’s formal declaration that most of China’s disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea are illegal, after the United States warned Beijing posed an “unprecedented threat” to the region.
In a strengthening of its policy on the South China Sea, the US abandoned its official position of neutrality and effectively aligned Washington with South East Asian nations — Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam — who are contesting China’s territorial claims.
“The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
“Today we are strengthening US policy … we are making clear: Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them. The People’s Republic of China’s predatory world view has no place in the 21st century. The PRC has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region.”
The US move will anger Beijing in a time of rising tensions between the strategic rivals. Earlier this month the US sent two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea to participate in large military exercises in a show of force.
It also comes after Scott Morrison released a Defence white paper update that says more assertive behaviour by major powers, including Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea and coercive “grey zone” activities, present immediate challenges to Australia.
While defence experts said the pressure was on Australia to back the American statement with strong language and even action in the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Marise Payne did not respond to Mr Pompeo’s remarks.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said: “Australia’s longstanding and consistent position is that all claims in the South China Sea should be made and resolved in accordance with international law, in particular UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).
“The 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea found there was ‘no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources beyond those provided for in (UNCLOS) within the sea areas inside the ‘nine-dash line’. The arbitral ruling is final and binding on the parties, and we call on them to respect it.
DFAT's carefully worded statement seems to have ignored the existence of the Five Nation Defence Pact:
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