While it’s fair to describe the deployment of the Chinese ‘spy ship’ to Australia’s EEZ as unfriendly, other factors should be considered before considering what it means for Australian policy

A US warship has sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese-occupied Mischief Reef in the South China Sea. This was the first such challenge to Beijing under President Donald Trump.

China and the United States have a responsibility to temper their actions and rhetoric in the South China Sea and keep their eyes on the bigger global and regional pictures.