Beijing continues to assert sweeping claims over the South China Sea, sending hundreds of naval and coast guard vessels into contested waters despite international rulings against it. According to Manila, this maritime deployment nearly doubled in September amid direct standoffs with the Philippines. Canberra, which previously condemned a Chinese nuclear-capable missile test in the South Pacific, is countering these moves through the informal "Squad" security grouping.
Key points
Regional partners are coordinating defense policies through the informal Squad grouping a…: Regional partners are coordinating defense policies through the informal Squad grouping alongside Japan, the United States, and the Philippines.
Beijing continues to deploy hundreds of vessels across the South China Sea despite legal…: Beijing continues to deploy hundreds of vessels across the South China Sea despite legal rulings invalidating its maritime claims.
Canberra is urging middle powers to strengthen collective security ties to counter the gr…: Canberra is urging middle powers to strengthen collective security ties to counter the growing pressure from unannounced military expansions.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
CEBU: Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday (Oct 29) that China's military build-up was creating a "condition of pressure" in Southeast Asia, and urged allies and partners to deepen cooperation.
Beijing deploys hundreds of coast guard, navy and other vessels to patrol disputed areas of the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that its position has no legal basis.
In July, Australia protested China's test of a nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific, calling the launch "destabilising".
"We're obviously seeing the biggest conventional military build-up that the world has seen since the end of the Second World War from China," Marles told reporters Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of Southeast Asian defence ministers in the Philippines.
"There's not an explanation from China as to why it's doing this, and all of that is creating the condition of pressure."
Beijing's growing assertiveness was "providing challenges" for Canberra, he added, saying Australia relied on maintaining the existing rules-based order.
"We need to be ensuring that how we understand the rules of the…
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