Rising Tensions Between Australia and China in the South China Sea: Is Australia Pursuing a “Transparency Strategy”?

On October 20, 2025, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) issued a statement reporting that a Chinese military aircraft had released “unsafe and unprofessional” flares in close proximity to an Australian P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft operating near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on October 19. The statement called on all parties to act safely, professionally, and in full compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

 

In response, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jiang Bin “condemned” Australia for “intrusion, provocation, and groundless slander,” describing the incident as “unacceptable.” Beijing urged Canberra to immediately cease such activities and lodged a formal diplomatic protest.

 

Although this was not the first confrontation between Australia and China in the South China Sea, the episode highlights several notable developments:

 

- Australia appears to be advancing a policy of transparency in the South China Sea. Since May 2022, the Australian DoD has officially disclosed all incidents involving China in the South China Sea—each concerning aerial encounters. Particularly in 2024 and 2025, Canberra began issuing statements swiftly after such events occurred. Meanwhile, China has responded with increasingly forceful rhetoric: whereas in 2022 Beijing merely “responded” and “objected” to Australian claims, since 2024 it has escalated its language to “condemnation” and has even released video footage of earlier encounters. Should tensions continue to rise, China may itself begin publicizing Australian operations in the South China Sea, as it has done with those of the Philippines and the United States.

 

Australia’s actions align with the Philippines’ recently launched “transparency strategy” in the South China Sea—an approach that has received explicit U.S. support. As a close ally and operational partner of both the Philippines and the United States, Australia’s move toward greater disclosure likely reflects a dual objective: coordinating policy with its partners while advancing its own regional strategic goals.

 

- The South China Sea remains far from stable despite perceptions of calm. Australia and China have engaged in a series of sharp rhetorical exchanges concerning prior incidents, employing increasingly assertive language. From Beijing’s perspective, Canberra is viewed as an “extra-regional actor” collaborating with the Philippines and the United States to “create disturbances and project power” in the South China Sea.