IN A largely forgotten incident in 2001, three Australian navy ships were travelling through the Taiwan Strait on their way from South Korea to Hong Kong when they were challenged by a Chinese warship.

The Australian vessels declined to change course, insisting they were in international waters. They were let through by China, despite its navy declaring that the ships were in Chinese territory.

Today, this incident seems something of an omen and has been recalled by analysts in Australia in recent weeks as they conduct a fierce debate over how Canberra should respond to China’s growing territorial assertiveness in the region.

… A maritime defence expert at the University of Wollongong, Dr Sam Bateman, said Australia could push for a regional agreement to cover disputed zones, including no-go areas for submarines and rules requiring prior notice of maritime movements.

Dr Bateman also advises the Maritime Security Programme at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University.