Defence Minister Richard Marles holds a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Singapore, officially ending a two-year diplomatic freeze between Canberra and Beijing.
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday there had been, "an alarming increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea" by Chinese planes and ships.
"Some big power has long practised navigation hegemony on the pretext of freedom of navigation," he told the conference. "Chinese militarisation of features in the South China Sea needs to be understood for what it is: the intent to deny the legitimacy of its neighbours' claims in this vital international waterway through force," he said.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more: