Contrary to the implication in Primrose Riordan's article on 30 August 2018, there is no connection between recent coverage in Chinese media of Minister Payne's public comments as Defence Minister on the South China Sea, and the speech given on 17 August by the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, Ms Amanda Gorely. To make such a connection - as both the article and headline do - is false and misleading.
Ms Riordan has also misquoted Ambassador Gorely in claiming she said the Code of Conduct being negotiated between China and ASEAN countries should not be "prejudiced" against countries that do not have territorial claims in the sea. In fact, Ms Gorely said (as the article later states) that the Code of Conduct "should not prejudice the interests of third parties or the rights of all states under international law" – a significantly different point.
The full text of Ms Gorely's speech can be found on the website of the Australian Embassy in Manila
