Australian Foreign Minister Bi Xiao (left) and Defense Minister Penn. (photo by the Guardian)
According to the Australian newspaper, the Australian-US Defense and Foreign Minister Summit (AUSMIN) will be held next week at (Stanford University), Stanford University, California, one of the key themes of which is China`s militarization in the South China Sea. But the Australian government declined to say whether Australia would play a greater role in the "freedom of navigation" operation in the South China Sea.
At the Australian-US ministerial summit, Defense Secretary Payne (Marise Payne) and Foreign Minister Bi Xiao (Julie Bishop) will meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Matisse (Jim Mattis) and Secretary of State Pompeo (Mike Pompeo). Payne declined to say whether Australia would respond to long-standing calls by the United States to take further action in the "freedom of navigation" exercise, within 12 nautical miles of the territorial waters claimed by China. Australia is a "strong partner" in the region, she said. "We regularly and consistently advocate freedom of navigation and supervision," Payne said. We have not conceded in this respect. "
Payne pointed to the importance of choosing the venue for the summit. "in my experience, this is the first time a conference has been held on the West Coast," she said. This is a strong and clear statement of our (and the United States) common interests in the Indian Ocean-Pacific region. "
For Australia, the timing of the summit may be awkward, given the continuing national debate over China`s "interference" in Australian politics, and relations between China and Australia are at a low ebb. Last month, the Federal Parliament passed a series of strict anti-foreign interference rules that most people see as an attempt to curb Beijing`s "interference" in Australia`s elections.
On July 16, U.S. Defense Deputy Secretary for Asia-Pacific Security Xue Ruifu (Randall Schriver) hinted that the Trump (Donald Trump) administration was ready to take a tough stance on China`s militarization of the South China Sea.
