"But the foundation of coercion on which some states pursue the resolution of maritime differences, characterised by observers as 'might makes right', should cause us all to pause and ask ourselves the question: if we are not willing to commit to resolve these differences peacefully … then are we willing to accept the likelihood that imposed solutions to these national differences at sea will seek us out in our supposed sanctuaries ashore?"

In what amounted to a robust response to suggestions that Washington blinked at Beijing's construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, Admiral Swift said the US Pacific Fleet would defend "freedom of the seas" through "routine presence, exercises with allies and partners, and freedom-of-navigation operations".

China has built artificial islands and reportedly shifted, at least temporarily, some military equipment to the new land in a bid to buttress its dubious territorial claims to contested waters that are also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. But there are further concerns that Beijing could use the territory to establish restricted air space or challenge freedom of movement through the waters, which are among the world's busiest maritime trade routes including for Australian exports.

Continuing a trend that has increasingly seen senior US figures use Australian soil to deliver blunt messages to Beijing, Admiral Swift said that freedom of navigation at sea and the right to fly over contested territory were the "golden rule" of a "rules-based system" that had ensured peace and allowed Asia's unprecedented growth in prosperity.

"It cannot be parsed, minced or revised by any one nation's domestic laws. It cannot be halted by coercion or encroached," he said.