Media release
Federal leader of the Palmer United Party and Member for Fairfax Clive Palmer has called for rational judgments to be made in the East China Sea dispute between China and Japan.
“All parties need to calm down, step back and seek a solution based on mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation,” Mr Palmer said.
“Australia needs to be cautious in dealing with this matter as China is one of Australia’s most important trading partners and has always sought a friendly relationship with Australia.
“As a great man once said, ‘No government is so evil that its citizens are lacking in virtue’. We have to admire the Chinese people and their long history with Australia and their long history and commitment to world peace and peaceful cooperation.”
Mr Palmer said he admired the Chinese people’s achievements in space and technology and the courage they had shown in the Second World War supporting Australia and the United States at a difficult time in world history.
“It would seem to me that we need to see the declaration of an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) by China in the context of what other countries have done on this matter,” Mr Palmer said.
“Even Canada established an ADIZ jointly with the US in the Cold War. The establishment of such a zone by the Chinese in no way impedes the status of their international claims. The current declared zone by China overlaps pre-existing ones set up years ago under US guidance by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.”
Mr Palmer said that compliance by aircraft entering such zones was merely a procedural matter that all international aircraft could comply with.
“It is my understanding that the US government has issued instructions to all of its aircraft entering such zones to comply with the ADIZ requirement,” Mr Palmer said.
“Commercial flights are not greatly affected. They regularly communicate with Chinese air traffic control anyway, and most countries, including the US, have recommended that their airlines obey the new rules.
“All parties to this dispute – the US, Australia China and Japan need to remember the importance of world peace and the importance of maintaining international trade and having mutual respect for each country’s right of self-determination.”
ENDS