Mr Abbott said China’s creation of artificial islands in the South China Sea came at a massive environmental cost, fortified disputed territory and restricted freedom of navigation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that Beijing did not consent to arbitration and would not reconsider its position.
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China has refused to participate in the proceedings.
The presence of military equipment on Woody Island will surely not help in diffusing the ongoing tension between countries claiming territorial ownership on the region. But, Wang also noted that the country is open to holding peaceful negotiations and dialogues with the other countries which have stated their own territorial claims on the region.
Republican Sen. John McCain said that China is behaving like a “bully” in the Asia-Pacific.
“We are expressing concern over these developments, including the reported missiles on Woody Island”, Kyodo News quoted him as saying.
“When that ruling comes out, it will be binding on both parties”, Kritenbrink said. The Chinese Embassy has also refused to comment on the protest. The general situation of the South China Sea now is stable, he said.
The series of Chinese maritime activities can be considered the foundation for establishing an air defense identification zone over the South China Sea in addition to the one already set up over the East China Sea. The United States has accused China of militarising the disputed waters.
A naval soldier of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) views through a pair of binoculars onboard China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning as it visits a military harbour on the South China Sea.
Reports also surfaced this week of probable radar installations on reefs in the nearby Spratly islands that would “exponentially improve” the country’s monitoring capacities.
He said Vietnam is protesting the actions and urging China to act responsibly to maintain peace and stability.
The analysis company Strator suggests that China has done far more than put up an ADIZ to assert its dominance over the East China Sea, however. According to reports, the United States and Australia are looking to beef defenses in the region in light of China’s continued militarization.
“We believe China’s legitimate security concerns must be taken into account” as the USA and ROK discuss the deployment of the defense system, he said.
But Wang said THAAD’s powerful radar would threaten China’s national security.
Harris, in his testimony before the House of Representatives armed services committee, had said it was “preposterous” that China would try to “wedge itself” between South Korea and the United States over the issue.
The US accuses China of militarizing a key conduit for world trade.
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday rejected that notion.
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In any case, the U.S.-ASEAN summit did not deter China, as the Asian heavyweight appeared to have ramped up operations in the contested waterway after the California gathering.
