ST: Australia Joins US, UK, ASEAN Nations rejecting China Claims in South China Sea

[tiongsrshit]

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/a...ts-beijings-south-china-sea-claims-backing-us


Australia rejects Beijing's South China Sea claims, backing US

A Chinese Navy formation, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning (centre), during military drills in the South China Sea on Jan 2, 2017.PHOTO: AFP
PUBLISHED
JUL 25, 2020, 1:38 PM SGT
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SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia has rejected Beijing's territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea in a formal declaration to the United Nations, aligning itself more closely with Washington in the escalating row.
In a statement filed on Thursday (July 23), Australia said there was "no legal basis" to several disputed Chinese claims in the sea including those related to the construction of artificial islands on small shoals and reefs.
"Australia rejects China's claim to 'historic rights' or 'maritime rights and interests' as established in the 'long course of historical practice' in the South China Sea," the declaration read.

"There is no legal basis for China to draw straight baselines connecting the outermost points of maritime features or 'island groups' in the South China Sea, including around the 'Four Sha' or 'continental' or 'outlying' archipelagos".
The declaration comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Beijing's pursuit of territory and resources in the South China Sea as illegal, explicitly backing the territorial claims of South-east Asian countries against China's.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea based on a so-called nine-dash line, a vague delineation from maps dating back to the 1940s.



The latest escalation comes ahead of annual talks between Australia and the United States, with ministers travelling to Washington for the first time since Australian borders were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The meetings come at a "critical time" and it is essential they are held face-to-face, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said in a statement on Saturday (July 25).
US relations with China have markedly deteriorated in recent months, especially over trade disputes, the coronavirus pandemic and Beijing's crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.
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Australia to continue supporting freedom of navigation in South China Sea
On Friday, Beijing ordered the US consulate in Chengdu to shut in retaliation for the closure of its Houston mission over accusations of being a hub for intellectual property theft.
Ms Payne and Ms Reynolds also penned an article in The Australian newspaper on Saturday, labelling national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong last month as "sweeping and vague".
"We face a public health crisis, economic upheaval and resurgent authoritarian regimes using coercion in a bid to gain power and influence at the expense of our freedoms and sovereignty," they wrote.

 

[syed putra]

Lets not just talk. Lets start the action.

 

[capamerica]

Lets not just talk. Lets start the action.

US now has upgraded SM-6 missile can shoot down all china dong feng missile, DF 21/26 anti-ship missile, ICBM tested can defeat. china got no answer. UK Australia India US all have warship together defeat inferior china military

 

[redbull313]

australia smart now see how bad china is

 

[Hypocrite-The]

China has already won in the SCS.

The 'exceedingly polite' Chinese military has a message for Australia
Posted 19h
A man in a navy uniform and life jacket stands beside a rocket launcher on a ship.
According to a senior official the Chinese were "exceedingly polite" as they reminded the Australians they were coming close to the Spratly Islands.(Reuters: Akhtar Soomro)
Share
Was it a confrontation on the high seas, or just a routine but unplanned interaction between warships sailing in international waters?

There are varying accounts within defence circles over just how stern a recent encounter in the South China Sea was between the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N).

The Defence Department still won't even formally confirm that the five Australian warships interacted with the Chinese military but has insisted that "unplanned interactions with foreign warships throughout the deployment were conducted in a safe and professional manner".

According to one senior official the Chinese were "exceedingly polite" as they reminded the Australians they were coming close to the Spratly Islands which have been heavily fortified by China in recent times.

Chinese soldiers patrol in the Spratly Islands, near a sign saying the land is "sacred and inviolable".
Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army Navy patrol near a sign in the Spratly Islands, known in China as the Nansha Islands. The sign reads "Nansha is our national land, sacred and inviolable" and it's now widely accepted in Australia that Beijing has essentially established military control over the area.(Reuters)
It's by no means the first time the ADF has been challenged by the Chinese in the area, but the encounter comes during a period of escalating security and diplomatic tensions between Australia and its largest economic partner.

Now Australia has dramatically raised the stakes in its already troubled relationship with China by backing the United States in formally declaring Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea to be illegal.

In a letter to the United Nations, Australia's permanent mission rejected the Chinese Communist Party's claims to disputed islands in the crucial trading waters, calling them "inconsistent" with international law.

Australian National University International law expert Professor Donald Rothwell believes the move is significant and will prompt a furious response from Beijing.

"I think what will be interesting to see is whether China will take a more assertive position in terms of physically challenging the rights of Australian warships in particular as they pass through the South China Sea," Professor Rothwell tells the ABC.

Richard McGregor, a senior fellow with The Lowy Institute, says the stakes are already high in the strategic and highly militarised corridor.

"You can absolutely be sure that any time Australian ships are in the South China Sea, they will be tracked by the Chinese," he told Radio National on Thursday.

"I don't think confrontation is the right word, but they will be hailed, they'll be asked what they are doing there and [asked] to explain themselves."

A steadily increasing presence in the South China Sea
For the past few years defence officials have watched with increasing nervousness as Beijing has steadily built up weapons and runways on its disputed islands in the South China Sea, while also constructing artificial outposts for military purposes.

Unlike the United States, Australia does not conduct Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) to challenge territorial claims in the South China Sea, meaning the RAN takes care to stay outside the 12 nautical mile limits imposed around Chinese claimed territory.

A warship with others in the distance.
"You can absolutely be sure that any time Australian ships are in the South China Sea, they will be tracked by the Chinese," says Richard McGregor from The Lowy Institute.(Twitter: Department Of Defence)
Australia, however, continues to assert its right of freedom of navigation and overflight in the region by regularly flying and sailing military assets through the crucial trading zone.

On Tuesday evening as HMAS Canberra, and four other Australian warships were conducting military drills in the Philippine Sea, the US Defence Secretary Mark Esper was promising a record number of FONOPS against China would continue.

"We want to deter against coercive behaviour by the Chinese in the South China Sea," he told the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"I am concerned that while the United States and our partners focus on supporting one another during these challenging times, the Chinese Communist Party continues to engage in systematic rule breaking, coercion and other malign activities."

Far from slowing China's activities, this year's coronavirus pandemic has had the effect of giving cover to the People's Liberation Army as it keeps up the rapid tempo of its territorial expansion in the region.

Beijing's military control of the area is widely accepted
It's now widely accepted in Australia and across this region that Beijing has essentially established military control over the vast South China Sea, and efforts to challenge their authority may even work to enforce that view.

Secretary Esper has nevertheless warned that the United States will continue to conduct FONOPS in defiance of Beijing's territorial claims.

"In 2019 we conducted the greatest number of Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea in the 40-year history of the FONOPS program, and we will keep up the pace this year," he said.

In Canberra it's no secret the Americans would dearly love their Australian allies to also conduct FONOPS, but there is no appetite within the Federal Government to do so.

Instead the ADF is committed to building up regional partnerships and remains hopeful that Australia will soon be invited to re-join the Malabar military exercises involving the US, India and Japan.

Top officials believe there are "very positive signs" an invitation will soon be formally issued, but in the meantime the so-called Quad looked to be on display last week as the United States conducted simultaneous exercises with Australia and Japan, and separately with India.

Now attention is turning to how soon Beijing could move to establish an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the disputed territory to monitor and control foreign aircraft.

Reports from China suggest planning for an ADIZ in the South China Sea are well advanced, similar to the one Beijing announced for the East China Sea in 2010, and then introduced in 2013.

In the meantime, there are growing concerns that the increasing presence of the US Navy in the region is heightening tensions that could spark actual conflict.

"Generally speaking the chances of some kind of conflict in the South China Sea are rising," Richard McGregor says.

And when the world's two largest superpowers are facing off in this region, the Australian Defence Force is acutely aware that a small miscalculation could have enormous consequences.

Posted 19h

 

[laksaboy]

The 'exceedingly polite' Chinese military has a message for Australia

Good. Remain exceedingly polite to the bombs on your fake islands.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Good. Remain exceedingly polite to the bombs on your fake islands.

I hope the CCP will collapse. But I dont think it will happen in my life time. The CCP brain wash of tiongs has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams

 

[laksaboy]

I hope the CCP will collapse. But I dont think it will happen in my life time. The CCP brain wash of tiongs has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams

It doesn't really matter how brainwashed they are. They inevitably bend the knee to might. Of course, there are a few lunatics who charge to the frontlines etc. That's natural selection in action.

 

[leeisphtui]

China has already won in the SCS.

The 'exceedingly polite' Chinese military has a message for Australia
Posted 19h
A man in a navy uniform and life jacket stands beside a rocket launcher on a ship.
According to a senior official the Chinese were "exceedingly polite" as they reminded the Australians they were coming close to the Spratly Islands.(Reuters: Akhtar Soomro)
Share
Was it a confrontation on the high seas, or just a routine but unplanned interaction between warships sailing in international waters?

There are varying accounts within defence circles over just how stern a recent encounter in the South China Sea was between the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N).

The Defence Department still won't even formally confirm that the five Australian warships interacted with the Chinese military but has insisted that "unplanned interactions with foreign warships throughout the deployment were conducted in a safe and professional manner".

According to one senior official the Chinese were "exceedingly polite" as they reminded the Australians they were coming close to the Spratly Islands which have been heavily fortified by China in recent times.

Chinese soldiers patrol in the Spratly Islands, near a sign saying the land is "sacred and inviolable".
Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army Navy patrol near a sign in the Spratly Islands, known in China as the Nansha Islands. The sign reads "Nansha is our national land, sacred and inviolable" and it's now widely accepted in Australia that Beijing has essentially established military control over the area.(Reuters)
It's by no means the first time the ADF has been challenged by the Chinese in the area, but the encounter comes during a period of escalating security and diplomatic tensions between Australia and its largest economic partner.

Now Australia has dramatically raised the stakes in its already troubled relationship with China by backing the United States in formally declaring Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea to be illegal.

In a letter to the United Nations, Australia's permanent mission rejected the Chinese Communist Party's claims to disputed islands in the crucial trading waters, calling them "inconsistent" with international law.

Australian National University International law expert Professor Donald Rothwell believes the move is significant and will prompt a furious response from Beijing.

"I think what will be interesting to see is whether China will take a more assertive position in terms of physically challenging the rights of Australian warships in particular as they pass through the South China Sea," Professor Rothwell tells the ABC.

Richard McGregor, a senior fellow with The Lowy Institute, says the stakes are already high in the strategic and highly militarised corridor.

"You can absolutely be sure that any time Australian ships are in the South China Sea, they will be tracked by the Chinese," he told Radio National on Thursday.

"I don't think confrontation is the right word, but they will be hailed, they'll be asked what they are doing there and [asked] to explain themselves."

A steadily increasing presence in the South China Sea
For the past few years defence officials have watched with increasing nervousness as Beijing has steadily built up weapons and runways on its disputed islands in the South China Sea, while also constructing artificial outposts for military purposes.

Unlike the United States, Australia does not conduct Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) to challenge territorial claims in the South China Sea, meaning the RAN takes care to stay outside the 12 nautical mile limits imposed around Chinese claimed territory.

A warship with others in the distance.
"You can absolutely be sure that any time Australian ships are in the South China Sea, they will be tracked by the Chinese," says Richard McGregor from The Lowy Institute.(Twitter: Department Of Defence)
Australia, however, continues to assert its right of freedom of navigation and overflight in the region by regularly flying and sailing military assets through the crucial trading zone.

On Tuesday evening as HMAS Canberra, and four other Australian warships were conducting military drills in the Philippine Sea, the US Defence Secretary Mark Esper was promising a record number of FONOPS against China would continue.

"We want to deter against coercive behaviour by the Chinese in the South China Sea," he told the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"I am concerned that while the United States and our partners focus on supporting one another during these challenging times, the Chinese Communist Party continues to engage in systematic rule breaking, coercion and other malign activities."

Far from slowing China's activities, this year's coronavirus pandemic has had the effect of giving cover to the People's Liberation Army as it keeps up the rapid tempo of its territorial expansion in the region.

Beijing's military control of the area is widely accepted
It's now widely accepted in Australia and across this region that Beijing has essentially established military control over the vast South China Sea, and efforts to challenge their authority may even work to enforce that view.

Secretary Esper has nevertheless warned that the United States will continue to conduct FONOPS in defiance of Beijing's territorial claims.

"In 2019 we conducted the greatest number of Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea in the 40-year history of the FONOPS program, and we will keep up the pace this year," he said.

In Canberra it's no secret the Americans would dearly love their Australian allies to also conduct FONOPS, but there is no appetite within the Federal Government to do so.

Instead the ADF is committed to building up regional partnerships and remains hopeful that Australia will soon be invited to re-join the Malabar military exercises involving the US, India and Japan.

Top officials believe there are "very positive signs" an invitation will soon be formally issued, but in the meantime the so-called Quad looked to be on display last week as the United States conducted simultaneous exercises with Australia and Japan, and separately with India.

Now attention is turning to how soon Beijing could move to establish an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the disputed territory to monitor and control foreign aircraft.

Reports from China suggest planning for an ADIZ in the South China Sea are well advanced, similar to the one Beijing announced for the East China Sea in 2010, and then introduced in 2013.

In the meantime, there are growing concerns that the increasing presence of the US Navy in the region is heightening tensions that could spark actual conflict.

"Generally speaking the chances of some kind of conflict in the South China Sea are rising," Richard McGregor says.

And when the world's two largest superpowers are facing off in this region, the Australian Defence Force is acutely aware that a small miscalculation could have enormous consequences.

Posted 19h

then Beijing has miscalculated no?

in the past 10 years they have taken on our neighbors and won because they kept it quiet, and covert. Just declare, build, and what can Philippines do? Lodge complaint who cares? why would US come to Vietnam's aid's? beijing wins.

but now we have a growing momentum of actual policy against Beijing backed with lethal force. its real and not just bluffing. i dont see how beijing can wriggle its way out

so its either war, or beijing must back down.

 

[tiongsrshit]

then Beijing has miscalculated no?

in the past 10 years they have taken on our neighbors and won because they kept it quiet, and covert. Just declare, build, and what can Philippines do? Lodge complaint who cares? why would US come to Vietnam's aid's? beijing wins.

but now we have a growing momentum of actual policy against Beijing backed with lethal force. its real and not just bluffing. i dont see how beijing can wriggle its way out

so its either war, or beijing must back down.

tiongs are in deep shit. whole world arming to pointing weapon to kill tiong. emperor xi 1 bad move will be vaporized

 

[drambuie]

Not so easy to wipe out tiongs and get away without suffering reciprocal damage. Tiongs got lots of missiles with nukes aimed at the North and South Poles ice caps besides the major countries. Not many of these can be intercepted. China may be vaporized yes but the world will be flooded with contaminated seawater which will affect the food chain for a long time. Parts of the world targeted by Tiong may also be vaporized .
Lots of posturing but in the end for sure very little action if any at all.

tiongs are in deep shit. whole world arming to pointing weapon to kill tiong. emperor xi 1 bad move will be vaporized

 

[redbull313]

Not so easy to wipe out tiongs and get away without suffering reciprocal damage. Tiongs got lots of missiles with nukes aimed at the North and South Poles ice caps besides the major countries. Not many of these can be intercepted. China may be vaporized yes but the world will be flooded with contaminated seawater which will affect the food chain for a long time. Parts of the world targeted by Tiong may also be vaporized .
Lots of posturing but in the end for sure very little action if any at all.

already got reciprocal damage. Covid-19 Virus spreading infecting every country even amazon rainforest tribe infected

 

[leeisphtui]

tiongs are in deep shit. whole world arming to pointing weapon to kill tiong. emperor xi 1 bad move will be vaporized

I dont have a crystal ball, but it seems that there is some sloppy policy making coming out of Beijing. No state willingly engages in acts that cause tension, without a reason

I just dont see the benefit of so much acrimony what does Beijing have to gain?

 

[tobelightlight]

I dont have a crystal ball, but it seems that there is some sloppy policy making coming out of Beijing. No state willingly engages in acts that cause tension, without a reason

I just dont see the benefit of so much acrimony what does Beijing have to gain?

It is not about Beijing i believe. It is about trying to start a war by the Illuminati/cabal.

 

[laksaboy]

so its either war, or beijing must back down.

It will be war. Winnie the Mao wannabe will never back down.

Of course, people within China's military can help expedite the process by doing the Ceausescu option: capture Winnie, fast military trial, then shoot or hang him outside Tiananmen Square.

 

[steffychun]

China's pandas to kill kangaroos.

 

[Boliao]

China is a nuclear power. Period. Australia's economy is already like shit and they are now following incompetent US leaders in stirring shit in ASEAN's backyard. The US and Australia are not our friends, please. They are racist and will step on you the moment they have; Chinese, Indians, Malaysia alike.

Chinese on the other hand, just naturally dislike Shitskin because Pakistan, another nuclear power, is their ally.

 

[laksaboy]

China is a nuclear power. Period. Australia's economy is already like shit and they are now following incompetent US leaders in stirring shit in ASEAN's backyard. The US and Australia are not our friends, please. They are racist and will step on you the moment they have; Chinese, Indians, Malaysia alike.

Chinese on the other hand, just naturally dislike Shitskin because Pakistan, another nuclear power, is their ally.

China's nuclear deterrent threat is overrated. Winnie should press the nuke button, if he dares to do it.

 

[redbull313]

China is a nuclear power. Period. Australia's economy is already like shit and they are now following incompetent US leaders in stirring shit in ASEAN's backyard. The US and Australia are not our friends, please. They are racist and will step on you the moment they have; Chinese, Indians, Malaysia alike.

Chinese on the other hand, just naturally dislike Shitskin because Pakistan, another nuclear power, is their ally.

Wrong we are best friends with the US and Australia go ask your Ministars why