US, China brace for stand-off over disputed islands sail-by as Aussies fence-sit
RT.com
15 Oct, 2015
China may use force if the US proceeds with its plan to sail within 12 miles of a reclaimed island in the South China Sea. Australia, which previously supported the American plan, said it wouldn’t be part of it.
“We wouldn’t participate in any surveillance or whatever other activities the United States might have talked about,” Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb said on Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg. He was commenting on the Pentagon’s plan to test China’s resolve to protect the waters around its artificial islands.
“On that issue, we’re not taking sides,” Robb added.
China is building several artificial islands in the disputed sea territory hosting radar stations, airstrips and other facilities, which critics insist serve military purposes. China says the military aspect of its reclamation program is minimal and that the islands’ purpose is mostly civilian.
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