An Analysis Of Australia's Involvement In The South China Sea Issue And China's Countermeasures

Australia,as a middle power locating between the India Ocean and the Pacific Ocean,does not have claims to the sovereignty but has been actively involving in the South China Sea issue and becomes a new country outside the region involving the South China Sea situations because of its significant interests ranging from economic,security,individual identity realization to doubts about China's rise.Primary object of study on countries outside the region involving in the South China Sea in academia,at present,is USA,while studies on other countries are relatively deficient.Although influences of Australia's involvement are limited,analysis on reasons,approaches and influences of Australia's involvement in the South China Sea makes contributions to the scientization and refinement of China's South China Sea policy and more properly coping with outside pressure on the South China Sea situations.The author,by reviewing domestic and overseas relevant literatures,hold that Australia's doubts about China's rise should be included in the reasons why Australia involves in the South China Sea situations besides interests ranging from economic and security to identity as a middle power in addition to motivations from the USA and relevant countries inside the region.Australia,driven by these factors,involves in the South China Sea in the following ways:Actively airing own opinions on the South China Sea issues and appealing to a settlement of disputes based on international laws;Strengthening policy coordination with USA and opening military bases to assist the USA in involving the South China Sea;Strengthening military cooperation with countries around the South China Sea.Australia's essential attitudes that biased "neutrality" and temperate "activism" can be deduced from approaches of Australia's involvement in the South China Sea issue.Australia's involvement in the South China Sea issue has complicated influences as follows:Intensifying the South China Sea Issue complicated,internationalized and long-termed;Aggravating the paradox between Australia's foreign economic relation and foreign security relation;Military cooperation between Australia and USA strengthens USA's involvement capabilities in the South China Sea situations.China needs to adopt the following countermeasures to cope with it:Strengthening Sino-Australia mutual trust in politics and security;Insisting on dual-track approach and boosting "the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" to make the South China Sea peaceful and stable;Constructing Sino-US crisis management mechanism to stabilize Sino-Australia relation by stable Sino-US relation.Although Australia's involvement makes the South China Sea issue increasingly internationalized,influences of Australia's involvement,in general,are controllable due to its not deep involvement and primary goal to maintain peace and stabilization of the South China Sea.