Australia engages in blunt exchange with China over South China Sea dispute

Australian and Chinese military officials found themselves in "direct and blunt" exchange over the escalating territorial dispute over the South China Sea. China has warned other countries, including Australia, not to resort to other activities regarding the disputed the region.

Military officials from China and Australia were involved in an exchange over concerns on China's island-building spree in the South China Sea, according to Fairfax Media. China has been warning countries, including Australia and the United States, not to continue with their "freedom of navigation" exercises to challenge Beijing's territorial claims.

China emphasised that it does not recognise arbitration and third-party resolutions regarding the disputed island. There was a controversy between the dialogue of Australia's defence brass and General Fang Fenghui, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, as the Australian media was not properly informed. The Defence department did not issue any statement initially about the exchange.

However, it is a different case for the Chinese government. It was able to inform in advance the country's journalists. The government released a statement detailing the primary points of the dialogue. The talks were hosted under Chief of the Defence Force Mark Binskin and Defence Department Secretary Dennis Richardson. The Chinese Embassy also obtained a detailed statement from Defence about the details of the exchange, including the welcoming ceremony at Defence HQ. Logistics and other instructions were included in the statement.

Nonetheless, Fairfax Media learned that discussions between officials were "robust" and "direct and blunt." The South China Sea remains one of the tense points between China and the United States. Australia, along with the Japan, has stressed the importance of the presence of the United States in the disputed region.

Beijing has been refusing to recognise any intervention on the matter. It also dismissed rulings from the international court saying it will "lead to nothing." According to Reuters, legal experts believe that the Philippines have a high chance of success following the court's detailed rejection of China's arguments. Furthermore, the rulings of the court can now be a chain around China's neck considering that it is the first time an international court intervened with such dispute. Beijing will be hard pressed to ignore any of the decisions, according to experts.

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