China out to isolate South China Sea claimants, US

CHINA failed last week to pressure Japan and other G-7 countries into not discussing the South China Sea when they met in Hiroshima. Instead, foreign ministers from the seven countries issued a joint statement on maritime security on April 11 which, without mentioning China by name, emphasised the "fundamental importance of peaceful management and settlement of disputes".

The timing of the statement was particularly important, coming as it did weeks before an expected ruling by an arbitral tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on an action brought by the Philippines against China in 2013. China has announced that it will ignore the tribunal's decision but the G-7 statement called on all nations to "fully implement any decisions rendered by the relevant courts and tribunals which are binding on them, including as provided under UNCLOS".

Nonetheless, China continued to wage its campaign against any public discussion of its actions in the South China Sea. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who just finished a trip to China on April 15-16, experienced it at first hand during his visit. This week, it is the turn of the New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key. Both men were warned not to discuss South China Sea issues or face possible consequences.