Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop has raised objections to China’s militarization of the South China Sea after weekend reports that a Chinese bomber capable of carrying a nuclear warhead had been on the disputed Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島).
With relations between Canberra and Beijing tense, courtesy of the Turnbull government’s pursuit of a crackdown against foreign interference, Bishop has held a lengthy meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), on the sidelines of the meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Argentina.
While the meeting in Argentina was obviously intended to achieve a diplomatic thaw, Bishop confirmed that she had raised objections about China’s activities in the South China Sea, including the weekend incident.
The Chinese air force said several bombers of various types — including the long-range, nuclear strike-capable H-6K bombers — carried out landing and take-off drills at an unidentified island airfield after carrying out simulated strike training on targets at sea.
“Australia’s position has been very clear and consistent and it is very well known to China. Our concern about militarization of disputed features of the South China Sea has been the subject of a number of discussions, and was again today,” Bishop said yesterday.
She said that Australia had consistently raised concerns about activities in the disputed territory as part of “enduring, broad dialogue with China, and I don’t believe China was surprised by my raising it again today.”
Bishop also discussed the South China Sea with the US at the G20 meeting. She said Australia would continue to exercise its rights to freedom of navigation and overflight “and support the rights of others to do so” — and had conveyed that position to China.
The foreign minister has been criticized over her handling of the Australia-China relationship by a former Australian ambassador to Beijing, Geoff Raby, now a businessman based in China.
Raby has asserted Australia’s security and intelligence agencies have driven a more hawkish line and sidelined the foreign affairs department.
Bishop has hit back at the critique from Raby, calling him ill-informed and “profoundly ignorant, might I say, about the level of engagement between Australia and China at present and the state of the relationship.”
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