Australia Doubles Maritime Aid to Philippines, Warns China’s South China Sea Actions Risk Regional Stability

‘We must be clear and assert what we need to hold onto in the rules-based order,’ said Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Philippines' Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro (L) meets with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong (R) on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 23, 2026. Ezra Acayan/POOL/AFP

Australia has reaffirmed its support for the Philippines in the South China Sea, saying any disruptions to key international waterways would have global consequences.

Speaking in Manila on July 23, Foreign Minister Penny Wong criticised Beijing’s “destabilising and dangerous conduct,” pointing to China’s recent missile test in the South Pacific and a confrontation on July 20 between the Philippine Coast Guard and China Coast Guard.

“We must be clear and assert what we need to hold onto in the rules-based order,” she said at a foreign policy address.

“The Strait of Hormuz and this conflict shows us what we in the region have always understood—that people suffer when a strait is weaponised.”

Australia will double its maritime assistance to the Philippines to $18 million over four years. This includes an additional $10 million for “cutting-edge drone technology” and operator training for the Philippine Coast Guard. A further $160 million will be provided over 10 years to expand maritime cooperation with South-East Asian partners.

Wong stressed that all countries in the region, particularly China, must respect rules under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for “shared economic resilience and prosperity,” particularly by China.

In July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Beijing’s “nine-dash line” claim, covering roughly 90 percent of the South China Sea, was unlawful under UNCLOS. The tribunal also affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. Beijing has consistently rejected the ruling.

“That 2016 Award was a landmark decision, and we have consistently called for China and the Philippines to abide by it,” Wong said.

“Australia, with others, will continue to register our concerns about Chinese vessels engaging in destabilising and dangerous conduct in the South China Sea, including towards Philippine, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Indonesian vessels.”

Wong also spoke of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation—a legally binding peace treaty established by the founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1976—as an example to the world on how the region “would not be defined by rivalry.”

The peace treaty covers respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, renouncing the threat or use of force, and cooperation between states with different histories, interests, and systems.

“That restraint, dialogue, and respect are not weaknesses but our strategic assets,” she said.

Wong added that Australia and the Philippines are middle powers in a world that is changing.

“We don’t want any single power to set the terms of our future. What we seek is a balance of power, where no country dominates and no country is dominated,” she said, and added that Australia will continue to support the United States’ engagement in the Indo-Pacific, including through the Quad security group with Japan and India.