“In our latest defense white paper, in my view, the main concern and the biggest question of our time in this part of the world as far as Australia is concerned is whether China will become a responsible member of international community and play by the rules of the game in the South China Sea and East China Sea,” Dibb stated.
On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the United States to build mutual trust and refrain from adopting a confrontational stance on any divisive issues. He emphasized that Beijing favored a "dual-track approach" to territorial rows in the South China Sea, meaning nations that are involved in a dispute should talk directly to each other.
Relations between China and Japan have been strained by a dispute over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The Japanese, who have claimed the islands since the 19th century, call them the Senkaku Islands, the name mostly recognized globally, while in China they are known as the Diaoyu Islands.
In 2013, China implemented an identification zone over the East China Sea, requiring all aircraft passing through the area to declare their route and has recently said that the country was ready to install its planned air defense identification zone in the South China Sea, citing the US provocative activities in the disputed area.
