Albanese on SCS issue: Australia will cooperate where we can
By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News Published March 5, 2024 4:44pm MELBOURNE, Australia – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday the Australian government would always cooperate in any way it can when it comes to addressing issues in the South China Sea. At a press conference at the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, […]
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By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News
MELBOURNE, Australia – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday the Australian government would always cooperate in any way it can when it comes to addressing issues in the South China Sea.
At a press conference at the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, Albanese stressed that Australia is a strong supporter of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
”Our position on China remains very consistent, which is that we want to cooperate where we can, we’ll disagree where we must, but we will always engage in our national interest. I think the recent progress has been made in the relationship. That is a good thing. It is always good when dialogue occurs, and that is our position that we’ll continue to assert,” Albanese said.
”ASEAN will continue to discuss the shared interests that we have in this region of maintaining a stable, secure and prosperous region,” the PM added.
Albanese made the remark after President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the Philippines would push back against China if its sovereign rights in the region are ignored.
Further, Albanese said that Australia has strongly put its view that ”freedom of navigation through the South China Sea is important.”
”A large percentage of Australian trade goes through that sea, whether it be on its way to China or to Japan or the Republic of Korea in particular,” Albanese said. ”So, it’s an important waterway and we support freedom of navigation, we also support the application of international law.”
He also maintained that Australia’s engagement in the maritime sector in the region is about promoting peace, security and stability.
”It’s something that we say to all of our neighbours, whether they be China or whether they be our ASEAN neighbours as well. That is our motivation in the region. It’s a motivation which will benefit world trade, and trade is a good thing because trade produces economic prosperity and that is our objective,” Albanese maintained.—RF, GMA Integrated News
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