Australia’s Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds

The consultations were held in Washington on Tuesday by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, and Australian Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds.

Both sides expressed deep concerns about actions destabilizing in the Indo-Pacific region. Agreeing with a court of arbitration’s ruling in 2016, the ministers called China's maritime claims unlawful under international law.

The statement said China cannot impose maritime claims in the South China Sea based on the nine-dash line, historical claims, or island groups in the sea because they are not in line with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The joint statement stressed that the 2016 arbitration judgement is final and compulsory and all claims in the South China Sea must be resolved in accordance with international law.

The statement demonstrates US and Australian support for the rights of claimants who are legally allowed to exploit offshore resources including oil, gas, and fishing in the South China Sea.