South China Sea: Beijing s military (Image: GETTY)
This would include the demolishing of structures that rival nations have constructed on reefs that China claims sovereignty over.
Mr Locsin described the act a threat of war , adding: “While enacting law is a sovereign prerogative, this one – given the area involved or for that matter the open South China Sea – is a verbal threat of war to any country that defies the law; which, if unchallenged, is submission to it.
It makes the US intervention even more significant, yet Dr Strating calmed fears of conflict in the region.
She said: I don t see a significant risk of a great power conflict over the South China Sea as it would rely on Washington getting involved in a military row with China.
Australia’s tourism and education exports to China would appear most in the firing line.
So it proved, if not for the pandemic as much as politics. Wild speculation about the source of Covid-19 didn’t help, any more than Beijing’s brittle attitude to media criticism. China slapped tariffs on imports of Australian barley, beef and wine, banning seafood, timber and coal. “The moves follow a familiar playbook”, wrote Darren Lim and Victor Ferguson, “in which the Chinese government relies on technical regulatory measures to restrict exports, while denying any retaliation is taking place.”
It is possible to hold two views at once. Someone can advocate for trade with China and at the same time condemn China for its human rights abuses.