| Photo Credit: Reutersmore-inChina urged Australia on Thursday to refrain from making “irresponsible remarks” after Canberra issued a foreign policy paper citing security risks in the disputed South China Sea caused by Beijing’s activities there. “Australia is not a party directly concerned in the South China Sea issue, and it has made clear many times that it does not take sides,” spokesman Lu Kang said. It said Australia is “particularly concerned by the unprecedented pace and scale of China’s activities” in the South China Sea. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, pitting it against Taiwan and four Southeast Asian nations with overlapping claims in the waterway, which straddles busy international sea lanes and potentially has vast undersea deposits of oil and gas. “Australia opposes the use of disputed features and artificial structures in the South China Sea for military purposes,” the foreign policy report said.

Source: The Hindu November 24, 2017 03:10 UTC