‘DESTABILIZING’:
Australia’s top envoy advocated a prosperous, peaceful and stable region, while Beijing said that the South China Sea was none of Canberra’s business
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) yesterday said she raised concern over Beijing’s test of a nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific, calling the launch “destabilizing” in a meeting with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) in Manila.The remarks came a day after the envoy slammed China’s “dangerous conduct” following a clash between Philippine and Chinese sailors at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.A Chinese submarine fired the ballistic missile fitted with a dummy warhead earlier this month, reaching far into the Pacific Ocean.
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong speaks at an ASEAN event in Pasay, Philippines, yesterday.
“We have made clear publicly and directly to China that we regard the missile test as destabilizing and we ... put that directly to Foreign Minister Wang Yi in my discussions” with him, she told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of Southeast Asian ministers in the Philippines.“We want a region which is peaceful, stable and prosperous,” Wong said. “We want a region where countries, all powers, including great powers, observe international law and, in particular, the law of the sea.”
