THE retired defence chief Angus Houston has warned Australia should not participate in freedom of navigation operations within 12 nautical miles of China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, The Guardian reports. He has also criticised the push to blockade China’s artificial islands, saying that would invite a “sharp response” from Beijing.
But he has reminded China that all countries must abide by the protocols of international law, saying a global, rules-based order should apply in the South China Sea “as it applies everywhere else”.
“To have a sort of environment where everybody does their own thing is clearly not on for the future,” he said.
Appearing at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Houston said diplomacy would be the best response. It was too late to stop the Chinese building artificial islands in the region but “we may be able to … convince our Chinese friends, with the assistance of all the other players in the region who have the same concern as we do, that they do not militarise those artificial islands”.
“I think any militarisation of those islands is deeply destabilising to the region,” he said.
The full Guardian article is here.
Houston said on Tuesday a blockade would be a bad idea.
“I wouldn’t support that,” he said. “I think that that will invite a sharp response from the Chinese.”
He said Australia should not take part in freedom of navigation operations within 12 nautical miles of the artificial islands, warning: “I think that could provoke a response, a military response, and I don’t think that that would be a good idea.”
Full transcripts of the speech can be obtained from the National Press Club here.
