Australia has reportedly urged China to end its controversial land reclamation activities in the South China Sea, a week after reports claimed that Beijing had moved weapons to its artificial islands.
News.com.au quoted Australian Defence Minister Kevin Andrews, as saying that he had personally conveyed Canberra's concerns to Beijing at a meeting with China's Ambassador to Australia, Ma Zhaoxu.
Andrews, who recently attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, said there was concern amid many countries over China's actions and added that they had opposed the use of "coercion or force to alter the status quo in the East China and South China Seas."
The warning came just days after the United States called for an "immediate and lasting" halt to China's land reclamation activities while, numerous South Asian nations issued strong warnings to Beijing about the dangers of "miscalculation.
