By James Goldrick*
In recent years, China has taken a dim view of Australian naval and air activities in the South China Sea. Australia is considered an intruder, an external power that has no right to deploy into the area. But the fact is that Australian units have operated regularly, if not continuously, in the South China Sea and its surrounds for more than a century. They have been there because their activities were and are considered to contribute to the safety and security of the region, on which Australia’s own security has long depended.
