Oz alarmed over Beijing's south China sea aggression

New Delhi: Expressing concern over the militarisation of disputed features and the coercive use of coast guard vessels in the South China Sea, the Australian high commissioner (designate) to India said its vessels and aircraft would continue their operations in the region and support other nations doing the same. On the ongoing developments in the region, Barry O’Farrell said all territorial disputes need to be settled in accordance with international law and acts of coercion can lead to escalation.

The comments come in the wake of increased Chinese aggression in South China Sea in recent weeks, which included the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel, dangerous tailing of foreign warships and attempts to stop exploration activities in the exclusive economic zones of other Asian nations. As reported by ET, there is a line of thought that the recent incidents in the South China Sea and the flare-up along the Sikkim and Ladakh borders could be linked to an apprehension in Beijing that business would move out of China to its neighbouring nations in the post Covid-19 world.

O’Farrell said there are concerns over “actions to disrupt other countries resource exploitation activities and the dangerous and coercive use of coast guard vessels and so called maritime militias”. He urged “all parties to take meaningful steps to ease tensions and build trust, including through dialogue”. He also said binding legal judgments on claims in the region need to be abided by and Australia will support nations who exercise their rights under the international law for freedom of navigation and overflight. The scaling up of aggression by China at the Ladakh and Sikkim borders has not been an isolated case. From India to Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia, territorial aggression seems to have got fresh wind in the past few weeks.