Australia and Asean countries vow to boost defence ties

sydney: Australia and its Asean neighbours vowed to boost defence ties while stressing the importance of non-militarisation in the disputed South China Sea at a summit.

Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, at the three-day meeting in Sydney, also agreed to work more closely to tackle the growing menace of violent extremism and radicalisation.

Tensions in the South China Sea remain a big worry for regional leaders, as Beijing continues to build artificial islands capable of hosting military installations – much to the chagrin of other claimants to the area.

Vietnam remains the most vocal in the dispute with the Philippines backing off under China-friendly President Rodrigo Duterte. Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims.

Canberra and Asean reaffirmed yesterday “the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region”, without naming Beijing.

The leaders added they wanted to see an “early conclusion of an effec- tive code of conduct in the South China Sea”.

“We will uphold our commitment to the rules-based order and international law in the region, including the South China Sea,” stressed Turnbull.

With China flexing its muscle, they also committed to enhancing “the scope and sophistication of defence cooperation”, while expressing “grave concern” about escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Day two of the summit on Saturday was devoted to counter-terrorism, with an agreement to work together to tackle extremism amid growing concern about the use of the “dark web”, or encrypted messaging apps, by terrorists to plan attacks.