Australia calls on Asian countries to peacefully resolve disputes

DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop after their joint press conference on the fourth Philippine-Australia Ministerial Meeting Thursday. MATIKAS SANTOS/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Australia urged China, Japan, and the Philippines to resolve territorial disputes peacefully and to not escalate tensions further in the region.

Julie Bishop, Australian Foreign Minister, said Thursday that it will not take a side in the disputes involving China particularly in the East China Sea with Japan, and in the South China Sea with the Philippines.

“Australia does not take a position on these competing claims, but we urge all parties to resolve their differences peacefully,” Bishop said in a joint press conference following the fourth Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting (Pamm).

She also expressed full support for the conclusion of an Asean Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that is expected to reduce tensions in the region that is subject of overlapping territorial claims by several countries.

China claims the entire South China Sea, including parts of the Philippines 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. The Philippines has protested the nine-dash-line claim as “excessive” and a “gross violation of international law.”

Other Southeast Asian countries Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan, also have their respective claims in the region.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said that China’s indisputable claim was what prompted the Philippines to seek international arbitration before the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal.

He said the Philippines has exhausted all means to resolve the dispute including political and diplomatic mechanisms.

The Philippines is set to submit its written arguments before the tribunal by March 2014, while China has refused to participate in the proceedings.

“We are concerned about the security and peace in the region,” Bishop said citing that about 60 percent of its exports pass through the South China Sea.

She also noted the tensions between China and Japan in the East China Sea over what China calls the Diaoyu islands or what the Japanese call the Senkaku islands.

China was higly criticized for its establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone (Adiz) in the East China Sea that covered the disputed islands.

“We urge both sides not to escalate tensions and to recognize that many countries have a big interest in a peaceful cooperation between China and Japan,” she said.

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