“This is more important than ever with the region’s character under challenge,” she said.

In comments that did not directly name,but were clearly aimed at,China,Wong said:“We see claims and actions that are inconsistent with international law,particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS);the legal order for the seas and oceans.

“We face destabilising,provocative and coercive actions,including unsafe conduct at sea and in the air and militarisation of disputed features.

“We know that military power is expanding,but measures to constrain military conflict are not – and there are few concrete mechanisms for averting it.”

Wong welcomed the resumption of leader-level and military-level dialogue between the United States and China,saying:“These are important steps on the path towards stability that the region has called for.

“We must also commit to preventive architecture to increase resilience and reduce the risk of conflict through misunderstanding or miscalculation.”

The dire consequences of military conflict “requires all of us to shape habits of cooperation that sustain the character of our region”,Wong said.

“To insist differences are managed through dialogue,not force,” she continued.

“To insist that communication never be withheld as a punishment or offered as a reward.”

As well as diplomacy,Wong said investing in military capability was crucial to deterring a conflict.

“Our longstanding defence partnerships in the region,including with ASEAN member states,build not only interoperability,but friendships and understanding,” she said.

“Together,we show the high costs for anyone seeking to provoke conflict.”

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