Christopher Pyne is set to call on China to act with greater responsibility in the South China Sea and avoid the “might is right” approach to diplomacy used by isolationist regimes such as Russia. The defence minister will also stress in a speech in Singapore on Monday that no country wants to stifle China’s growth and prosperity in the region, which is playing “host to the defining great power rivalry of our times between the United States and China”.
But he will call on China to rethink its approach in the South China Sea as that has eroded regional confidence and increased anxiety, according to a copy of his speech“. Resolving disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law would build confidence in China’s willingness to support and champion a strategic culture that respects the rights of all states,” Pyne will say.
