Payne sails a fine line in a sea of speculation

Marise Payne has tried to tone down aggressive comments from the US over South China Sea operations.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Picture: AAP

Marise Payne has tried to tone down more aggressive comments from Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, John Bolton, about Australia and the US sailing together through the South China Sea, saying she will not flag future operations.

She said US-Australian naval co-operation in the South China Sea was increasing, but suggested Canberra’s approach was focused on advocacy.

Mr Bolton on Friday backed in US Vice-President Mike Pence’s recent speech about China on a US radio show, vowing to be tough on Beijing and saying the communist nation’s “behaviour needs to be adjusted”.

He also said the US was getting more participation from its allies and would be stepping up ­efforts in the South China Sea, including through naval patrols with Australia.

“We’ve got to do more first to establish for the Chinese that we do not acknowledge the legitimacy of any of (their South China Sea claims),” Mr Bolton said. “We have more partici­pation by allies. The British, the Australians and others are sailing with us through the South China Sea. We’re going to do a lot more on that.”

The Foreign Minister said US-Australia naval co-operation was increasing in the South China Sea. "We have been more comprehensively engaged through INDOPACOM and our work previously with Admiral [Harry] Harris and now Admiral [Philip] Davidson,” she said yesterday.

“We work very closely with the US throughout the region.”

Asked specifically whether Australia was planning joint ­operations with the US through contested Asian waters, Senator Payne said she would not ­announce future activities. “I don’t engage in conjecture about future ADF activities, and I’m not about to start today.”

She said Australia was focused on advocating for claimant states and China not to militarise the waters through public advocacy.

“We have been absolutely consistent in our approach, that is to say, we will always prosecute our case both verbally as you have seen Australian leaders and ministers do for some time now in ­relation to issues of freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight,” she said.

“(We) have been absolutely consistent in advocating for a sec­ure open and prosperous region, which includes those freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight activities, and we will continue to do that.”

Australia does conduct naval operations in the South China Sea but has so far resisted to join the US in conducting freedom of navigation exercises where the American navy sails within 12 nautical miles of China’s artificial islands. The exercises are to demonstrate that the islands are ­illegitimate under international law as they do not have territorial waters surrounding them.