Australia loath to sail too close to the wind

Scott Morrison has signalled Australia will take a cautious approach joint operations in the South China Sea.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on Tuesday.

Scott Morrison has signalled Australia will take a cautious approach to United States’ calls for joint freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, declaring “Australia makes its decisions based on our own national interests and our own timings”.

As Australia and the US consider a series of new defence initiatives at high-level talks in Washington, the Prime Minister said the two nations would continue to work closely together to “secure peace and stability in our region”.

Senior US government officials said a series of “ambitious” and “co-ordinated” initiatives were on the table at the AUSMIN talks on Tuesday night, including a step-up in “concrete co-operation” on freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

Mr Morrison said Australia had “the greatest of alliances and friendships with the United States”, and he did not see Australian involvement in US naval operations as posing an inherent risk.

“Where our actions together contribute to peace and stability in our region, then that is very much in Australia‘s national interests,” he said.

But Mr Morrison said the government would consider “the merits of each and every call” through the cabinet, and its national security committee.

“Australia makes its decisions based on our own national interests and our own timings and our own assessments of what decisions we make,” he said.

Marise Payne and Linda Reynolds were locked in talks late on Tuesday night (AEST) with US counterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper in what Australia has described as the most important AUSMIN meeting yet. A press conference and joint statement were due early Wednesday morning.

The meeting came as China announced the suspension of Hong Kong’s extradition treaties with Australia, Canada and Britain, following similar decisions by the three countries over China’s imposition of a controversial new security law in the territory.

“The wrong action of Canada, Australia and the UK in politicising judicial co-operation with Hong Kong has seriously hurt the basis of judicial co-operation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

New Zealand followed Australia on Tuesday in cancelling its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, while the US has signalled it is preparing to do the same.

China also blasted what it said were “wanton accusations” by Australia on the legality of China’s disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Australia rejected Chinese territorial claims to artificial islands and waters between disputed maritime features in a statement to the United Nations last week, and said it did not accept Chinese assertions that sovereignty over the Paracel ­and Spratly Islands were “widely recognised by the international community.”

Mr Wang said China’s claims in the South China Sea “were developed throughout the long course of history”, inaccurately asserting that they conformed with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

He said China’s territorial and maritime rights claims “won‘t be altered by certain countries’ wanton accusations”.

“China firmly opposes the Australian side‘s comments which run counter to facts, international law and basic norms governing international relations,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

The US has previously sought Australian support for its freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea within 12 nautical miles of Chinese territorial claims that are inconsistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

However, Australia has been reluctant to do so, fearing retribution from Beijing.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said Australia should encourage a joint regional response aimed at getting China to uphold the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“Ultimately we also have an interest in making sure the region is integrally involved in upholding the law of the sea,” she said.