Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called on countries to "avoid any unilateral actions" that could endanger peace and stability in the South China Sea at the end of a three-day summit on Wednesday, amid China's increasingly assertive behavior in the disputed waters.
ASEAN member states took part in the special talks in Melbourne to mark 50 years of ties with Australia. In a joint declaration released at the summit's conclusion, leaders also emphasized the need to "avoid actions that may raise the risk of accidents, misunderstanding, and miscalculation."
The declaration comes a day after the latest clash between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the contested waters. Two China Coast Guard vessels fired water cannons at a boat chartered by the Philippine Navy, damaging it and leaving four personnel on board with minor injuries, according to Philippine authorities.
One of the two Chinese coast guard vessels also collided with a Philippine Coast Guard ship, the authorities said Tuesday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke to media in Melbourne after the summit and expressed Canberra's concern over the "unsafe and destabilizing behavior," characterizing the moves as "dangerous" and adding that they risk "miscalculation, which can then lead to escalations."
There are differing opinions among ASEAN members regarding China's aggressive behavior and growing presence in the wider region, however, given Beijing's strong economic influence there.
At a press conference with Albanese on Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that "if other nations have problems with China, they should not impose it on us," referring to claims that there are issues related to "China-phobia" in the West.
Australia has long-held ties with ASEAN, whose member states are collectively Canberra's second-largest two-way trading partner.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Myanmar, which has been under military rule since a coup occurred in February 2021, did not attend the summit's main meeting. East Timor joined as an observer for talks centering on trade, clean energy and maritime security.
During the summit, Australia announced an investment of AU$64 million ($41 million) in expanding its maritime cooperation with ASEAN nations, and committed AU$2 billion toward a fund to promote regional projects in areas such as infrastructure and clean energy transition.
In a response to the declaration, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing that China will "continue to properly handle differences with relevant parties through dialogue and consultation" and work with ASEAN countries to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The disputes regarding the contested waters involve not only China and the Philippines but also Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
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