China weighs in as Julie Bishop backs Japanese right to sail through troubled South China Sea

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has backed “the right of all nations” to sail through international waters after Japan reportedly decided to send its biggest naval warship through the politically-sensitive South China Sea.

Ben Schreer, the head of Macquarie University’s Department of Security Studies and Criminology, said Japan’s decision to send the 248-metre long Izumo through the South China Sea reflected Tokyo’s wish to signal to Washington that it would do more militarily in Asia.

This in turn was aimed at encouraging the US to stay involved, underscoring the nervousness among Washington’s allies in Asia, including Australia, that the superpower would pull back.

Source: David Wroe / Kirsty Needham, The Sydney Morning Herald

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