Defence experts believe Australia will face growing pressure to join United States-led maritime patrols as tensions rise in the South China Sea.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-27/south-china-sea-defence-experts-warn-australia-faces-pressure/6890326


Time has come. Will Australia drop following the US around and become grown up and independent.

Or will Turnbull drag us into a war against China.

Do we want China building airstrips in the middle of the SCS that will put their aircraft within striking range of northern Australia?

I'd have to say that our defence commitments and strategy dictate that we should engage in the peaceful monitoring of the activities in the South china Sea, since any hostilities between partners in the Asian-Pacific Basin involve, by extension, all others.

Some would say that adopting such a position is dangerous, and would trend towards  the perception of the development of opposing alliances within that region - but others would say it was better to defuse these situations between Vietnam, China, Taiwan and The Philippines by showing that any nasty work will be observed and commented upon.

A conflagration in that area will inevitably draw in other trading and mutual defence partners, and thus could lead to a World War III.