(Photo Credit: The Japan Times)
(BGF) – According to The Japan Times Australian Defense Minister David Johnston has backed U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s statement that China’s actions in the South China Sea are ‘destabiilizing’. Secretary Hagel’s comments were made at the recent ‘Shangri-La Dialogue’. When asked whether he supported Secretary Hagel’s comments, Secretary Johnston replied: “I do to the extent that it is destabilizing”. Click here to read the full article or visit The Japan Times‘ website.
Australia Backs U.S. Comments on China’s ‘Destabilizing’ Acts
SYDNEY – Australian Defense Minister David Johnston has backed comments by his United States counterpart, Chuck Hagel, accusing China of “destabilizing” actions in the South China Sea.
Speaking in Singapore on Saturday, Hagel accused China of a number of alleged infractions, including against the Philippines and Vietnam, the two most vocal critics of Beijing’s territorial claims.
“In recent months, China has undertaken destabilizing , unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea,” the U.S. Secretary of Defense told the annual “Shangri-La Dialogue.”
In opening the forum, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged countries to respect the rule of law, in apparent reference to perceived Chinese aggression in the South and East China seas.
Johnston told the Sydney Morning Herald, in an interview from Singapore published Monday, that he supported their view.
“The U.S., Australia and Japan are very concerned that unilateral action is destabilizing the region of the South China Sea particularly, and the East China Sea.”
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