Julie, all the cited tensions are about oil!
We contribute, inasmuch as, we have locked away vast areas, that may eventually to hold more hydrocarbon reserves, [sweet light oil, NG and LPG,] to rival or perhaps eclipse the entire known reserves of the increasingly volatile Middle East?
Given the much lower carbon covalent bond in both LPG and NG, both of these much lower carbon producing alternatives, which need little or no carbon producing refining, ought to be preferred to more expensive, fully imported, sulphur laden, much higher carbon producing rubbish.
Our reluctance to explore and exploit the possibly massive reserves to our immediate north, is contributing to these marine border disputes.
Were we to simply explore and exploit our own Australian probable reserves and identify the truly massive world beating size of the entire Australian owned reserves, we would put downward pressure on prices, and the current international pressures that in turn creates!
But only assured; given current market manipulation, via govt ownership and exploitation of our own energy reserves.
[Other more pragmatic and or conservative govts, not limited by a self imposed ideological straight jacket, or a green element, already have!
Moreover, this much lower carbon producing gas will run just about every vehicle on our roads or rail links, as CNG, for considerably less than we currently shell out.
[40% of our oil is now fully imported!?]
We have plenty of locally available exploration expertise!
All that is required of a reluctant recalcitrant govt, as it seeks tendering exploration/exploitation contractors, is that it supplies 2-3 rigs, which can be bought off the shelf for around a billion each, and towed into place by the navy?
Money which can very easily be recovered by the oil sales, we know we would produce, just by exploiting the 5-15 billion barrel Townsville trough!
Don't just talk, and or identify the problems Julie, do something about them!
Even if that something, is just a Private Member's bill, which when put, would further differentiate a more pragmatic, wealth and job creating party, from all the others?
Rhrosty.

Well, Auntie Bishop has given us our lesson for the week, our bit of indoctrination that helps us to see everything from the American perspective because big is better you see, and who has the biggest military should run the Earthly Circus and we all know that the U.S. has the biggest military and the most nukes and the most warships and is driven by an insane imperialism and love of killing shared by Britain, Australia, France, Israel, etc.

Wouldn't it be amazing if Auntie Bishop condemned all warring nations, if she urged the world to disarm and embrace peace and caring and sharing and respect for life?

She could become an important person in the world rather than just another pawn in the Western Imperial Game. She could follow in the footsteps of Gandhi, Mandela, Annan, etc, instead of following in the bloody footsteps of Obama, Gillard, Cameron, Bush, etc.

I'm not holding my breath, mind you!

http://dangerouscreation.com

David G.-- Where in this extract from Julie Bishop’s article below does it indicate that the United States and Australia are causing this dispute?

Extract from Julie’s article:-
<Perhaps the most complex and heated of these disputes is the South China Sea where six nations lay claim to part or all of the Parcel island and Spratly island chains.

China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have competing and overlapping claims in the region.

Tensions heightened in 2009 when China submitted a territorial claim to the United Nations based on a map with dotted lines that seems to infer a claim over most of the South China Sea.>

Don’t let your hatred of all things Western, get in the way of your seeing the facts now will you. Cheez!

Cherful, I have, over many weeks, read Julie's articles carefully and have worked out for myself what could be motivating her to write them.

If you analyze each one and take careful note that she never responds to anyone who raises issues with her, you are left with questions about her underlying intentions (or her Party's intentions).

Call me cynical if you will, but I smell a rat! With someone like David Singer, you know exactly where he's coming from and you make allowances. But with fair Julie, heroine of Corporate Australia, be on your guard!

David G.
The article that your posted link went to, talks about the American warship firing on the Fishing boat. I saw that incident on the news the other night And even to me that fishing boat was way too close to the American warship, and heading right towards it.

Surely they realize that an American warship
will fire on any boat that approaches them like that in those waters. We are not told if the Warship issued them with any sort of warning to turn back.

This happened recently with another group, of Western greenies didn’t it? Who were protesting the American presence. They too got too close to the American warship and warning shots were fired. Scared the beejezus out of them.

Anyone who thinks they can approach a warship like that in these
times of suicide bombings hasn’t got much intelligence.

I did a brief to 2 Div in Sydney in the 80's about the Spratleys. Yes, resources were mentioned but a main driver was considered to be good old boy "Middle Kingdom’itis”. A justification of being there a few times centuries ago is all Chinese need to make it part of the homeland (sharing notes with Argentina?).

The Philippines, Vietnamese, Indons, Japs et al loathed the idea that such a reflexively arrogant power would be athwart their critical sea-lanes, it was thought likely that they would end up offering such as naval bases to the US. Don’t forget the Vietnamese had far more and existential wars with their northern neighbour.

The Chinese want these island group for reasons of power, minerals are just the icing on the cake.