Vietnam and Australia called on Wednesday for “self-restraint” in the South China Sea and warned against the unilateral use of force, an obvious reference to China’s increasingly aggressive presence that has stirred concerns across the disputed region. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met Australian counterpart Tony Abbott in Canberra, where they will sign a deal on issues including security and climate change. Vietnam and other wary Southeast Asian countries have complained about China’s controversial policy of land reclamation on disputed isles in the South China Sea. Beijing in turn has said it is not seeking to overturn international order.

Vietnam calls for self-restraint in disputed sea. (2015, March 20). The Philippine Star, p. 13.