The United States, Japan and Australia on October 7, 2013 have been warned by China that they must not take advantage of their alliance as an excuse to get involved in territorial disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea. China has also asked the three countries to avoid increasing tensions within the region.
The subject of maritime disputes was raised during a trilateral strategic meeting, which was held in Bali, in Indonesia. The Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Fumio Kishida, the Japanese Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State, John Kerry were all taking part in the dialogue. A joint statement from the meeting opposed 'coercive or unilateral actions' which could potentially alter the status quo in the East China Sea.
A statement from the State Department website read that claimants to maritime disputes in South China Sea need to refrain from destabilizing actions. Hua Chunying, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said, “The United States, Japan and Australia are allies but this should not become an excuse tointerfere in territorial disputes, otherwise it will only make the problems more complicated andharm the interests of all parties”.
The meeting between the US, Japan and Australia took place on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting on the island of Bali, in Indonesia.
Photo Credits: Daily Mail
