Barry O’Farrell responded to Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Friday.
New Delhi:
Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell responded to Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Friday, objecting to his comments on Chinese actions in the South China Sea, saying Beijing should refrain from actions that could unilaterally alter the status quo in the region.
O’Farrell said on Thursday that Australia remains deeply concerned about Chinese actions in the South China Sea that are “destabilizing and could lead to escalation.” The resource-rich South China Sea is also an important shipping route.
In a later tweet, Sun objected to the Australian diplomat’s remarks, saying they were made “regardless of the facts.”
O’Farrell, in his strong response, recalled the Chinese envoy to the verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016, which rejected China’s claim of sovereignty over the South China Sea region.
“Thank you @China_Amb_India. I hope you follow the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Prize, which is final and binding under international law, and that you generally refrain from unilaterally altering the status quo,” the Australian high commissioner tweeted. .
In its verdict, the international tribunal, constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), said that China had violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines by carrying out certain activities in the South China Sea.
Thanks @China_Amb_India. I hope that you will follow the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award, which is final and binding under international law, and that you also generally refrain from actions that unilaterally alter the status quo. https://t.co/1w2nrcrxhr
– Barry O’Farrell AO (@AusHCIndia) July 31, 2020
The Philippines had approached the court arguing that China’s land claims in the region are illegal.
China claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, a major source of hydrocarbons. However, several countries in the region, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei, have competitive claims.
O’Farrell released a statement Thursday criticizing China for its border dispute with India in eastern Ladakh and its actions in the South China Sea.
“On July 23, Australia presented a note to the UN Secretary General refuting China’s illegal maritime claims in the South China Sea,” he said.
“It rejects China’s claim for historical rights and inland waters, its claim for certain maritime areas and its claim that there is broad international recognition of its claims to sovereignty in the South China Sea,” added the high commissioner.
In recent weeks, China has increased its military assertiveness in the South China Sea when the whole world is fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Following the Chinese actions, the United States dispatched military ships near the disputed islands and called Beijing’s claim on the region illegal.
“The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire. The United States stands behind our allies and partners in Southeast Asia in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources,” the secretary said on July 14. of the United States, Mike Pompeo.
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