Australia concerned about destabilising behaviour in the South China Sea

A day after skirmishes between Chinese and Philippine warships in disputed seas, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Wednesday that Australia is extremely worried about hazardous and destabilising activity in the South China Sea.

Chinese coast guard ships and marine militia “harassed (and) blocked” Philippine boats on a regular trip to the Second Thomas Shoal on Tuesday, Manila reported.

In response to questions on the interaction on the last day of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Melbourne, Albanese stated that the actions were risky and may result in errors that could cause the situation to worsen.

“I am very concerned and Australia is concerned about any unsafe and destabilising behaviour in the South China Sea,” Albanese said.