In comments to News Corporation, Ms Bishop rebuffed calls by a senior US congressman for Australia to do its own exercises contesting China's land grab that would probably further strain an already-tense relationship between Beijing and Canberra.

Ms Bishop reportedly said it would be an "extraordinary step" for Australia to conduct a unilateral freedom of navigation patrol in the South China Sea because it has never conducted one before anywhere else. She said unlike Australia, the US conducted freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, 24/7 throughout the world.

Opposition defence spokesman Richard Marles said Labor supported the rights of all nations to exercise freedom of navigation in accordance with international law, and would consider co-operating with other countries.

"We want to see a stable, peaceful, rules-based order in our region supported by a constructive relationship between the US and China," he told The Australian Financial Review.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at day one of the AUSMIN talks in San Francisco. JEFF CHIU

"We have an interest in continued constructive US engagement in the region. Labor would consider opportunities for further co-operation with partners in the region."

'Curious change'

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings, a former Defence Department deputy secretary, said Ms Bishop's comments were a "curious" change in language and ran slightly counter to the government's rhetoric that Australia exercised freedom of navigation rights all the time.


Mr Jennings said he agreed with Ms Bishop that unilateral exercises did not serve a purpose, and that was why Australia should work with other like-minded countries such as France and Japan to do FONOPs within the 12 nautical mile limit. He suggested it would make more of an impact if every month a country did that.

"That would make quite a powerful diplomatic message to China," Mr Jennings said.

"China has profited from making sure the international community is fragmented on this."

Mr Jennings said the Coalition government had given strong consideration to doing FONOPs at the tail end of the Obama administration but shied away because of concerns the US would not support Australia if something happened. However, Mr Trump's tougher line on China now offered a measure of comfort and the government should rethink its policy.

United States Studies Centre director of foreign policy and defence program Ashley Townshend agreed Ms Bishop's comments were her most forthright in rebutting calls for Australian ships to sail within 12 nautical miles, especially considering the context of being made ahead of the AUSMIN talks.

He said the hesitancy by Australia and other nations to undertake such patrols spoke volumes to Beijing about a lack of resolve but Canberra should signal its willingness to undertake FONOPs if China continued to boost its military presence on disputed territories.

"It would be appropriate for Australia to undertake FONOPs in response to further destabilising changes to the status quo in the South China Sea, given they are in the scope of what the navy is able to do," he said.

However, former army chief Peter Leahy, who now heads the University of Canberra's National Security Institute, said Ms Bishop was right in resisting US political pressure becauses decisions about freedom of navigation exercises were sovereign ones.

"If we do freedom of navigation, we should do it on our own and not in concert with other countries," he said.

"If we were there with the US and the Chinese decided to do something, who would they likely pick off?"

While strategic issues dominate the annual AUSMIN talks, Ms Bishop confirmed to Fairfax Media she had lobbied US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for Australian car parts manufacturers to be exempted from a potential 25 per cent tariff, which the White House is considering as part of Mr Trump's global trade war.