Bishop to tackle China on islands

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Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop is visiting Beijing this week.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will step up pressure on China to halt any new moves to militarise disputed islands in the South China Sea, when she visits Beijing this week.

Ms Bishop will use the visit to reinforce international efforts to hold China to account on President Xi Jinping’s pledge in October that China would not militarise artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The Foreign Minister will ­reaffirm to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that Australia expects continued freedom of navigation of planes and ships, civilian and military, through the region.

The visit to both China and Japan is the first by Ms Bishop since Australia strongly backed a US freedom-of-navigation exercise in October in which a US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed ­island claimed by China.

Ms Bishop said it was important that Australia and the region “hold China to account on the question of militarisation”.

“President Xi said in Washington (in October) that they would not militarise the islands,” Ms Bishop told The Australian.

“We take him at his word and we accord for a halt to any furthe­r reconstruction or construction­ work. We have an interest in the freedom of navig­ation, freedom of flight and safe passage for our commercial trading and defence entities.”

China has raised the stakes in its territorial dispute with Japan, The Philippines and other regional­ countries over remote islands in the South China Sea by building artificial islands on disputed reefs, one reportedly with a military-length runway and another with aircraft hangars.

Ms Bishop will visit Tokyo today at a time when Japan is deeply concerned about China’s activities on islands in the South China Sea, where Japan also claims sovereignty. She said Australia would continue to remain impartial in the competing territorial claims in the region.

“Our message will be consistent, as it has been throughout the escalation of tensions, and that is we do not take sides on the competing territorial claims that is a matter for peaceful negotiation or the right to arbitration which we recognise” she said.

She said Australia supported the right of The Philippines to take its maritime dispute with China to the International Court of Justice, although Australia was not taking sides.

During his visit to Washington in October, Mr Xi denied that China would militarise the ­islands but maintained that “island­s in the South China Sea since ancient times are Chinese territory”.

“We have the right to uphold our own territorial sovereignty and lawful legitimate maritime rights and interests,” he said.

Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US forces in the Pacifi­c, said last year that China was building hangars on one of the reefs — Fiery Cross — that appeared to be for tactical fighter aircraft.

The Australian Defence Force has made contingency plans for a freedom-of-­navigation naval expedition through disputed parts of the Spratly archipelago, but the Australian government has not yet approved such a mission.

RAAF planes have increased their patrols over the South China Sea to enforce their right to do so under international law. These patrols are regularly being verbally challenged by Chinese military.

Ms Bishop will also use the Beijing visit to urge China to do more to pressure its rogue ally North Korea to cease its internationally provocative behaviour.

North Korea last week launched what it claimed was an earth observation satellite, but the US said it was a missile test. This follows Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test last month.

“China’s has a deep economic relationship with North Korea — it is the source for the bulk of their trade, for the bulk of their energy, their resources — so I feel there is more China could do,” Ms Bishop said. “I have no doubt China is as frustrated as the rest of the international community about North Korea’s behaviour but it has a different level of relationship with North Korea. It has a relationship that no other country has.”