Beijing warns Australia to ‘speak and act cautiously’ on South China Sea issue
Australia has previously drawn criticism for surveillance flights over disputed islands
China hopes that Australia will act and speak with caution on the South China Sea and that its words and actions on the issue match each other, a senior Chinese officer told the visiting head of the Australian Defence Force.
Australia, a staunch US ally, has previously drawn criticism from China for running surveillance flights over disputed islands in the South China Sea and supporting US freedom of navigation exercises there.
However, Australia has not conducted a unilateral freedom of navigation voyage of its own.
Meeting in Beijing, the vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Fan Changlong told Australia’s Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin that China hopes to push forward the healthy and stable development of bilateral military ties, China’s Defence Ministry said late on Wednesday.
China “hopes that on the South China Sea issue the Australian side can speak and act cautiously, and that its words and deeds match”, the ministry paraphrased Fan as saying.
He did not elaborate.