DHAKA: Australia on Thursday refused to back down from its criticism of China’s newly declared air defence identification zone, denying it had overstepped the mark.

Canberra on Tuesday summoned Beijing’s ambassador to voice opposition to the zone over the East China Sea, which includes Japan-administered islands at the heart of a tense dispute between the two neighbours.

It prompted Beijing to blast foreign minister Julie Bishop’s actions as ‘irresponsible’, demanding she immediately correct her ‘mistake’ while warning that ties could be hurt.

But Bishop remained defiant on Thursday, denying the United States, which has also refused to recognise the new zone, had pressured Australia into its position.

‘This is long-standing Australian policy to oppose any unilateral or coercive action by any country that could add to the tensions that currently exist in the East China Sea,’ she told reporters, according to The Straits Times.

"We have a key stake, a key interest in ensuring that there is peace and stability in the East China Sea in our region.

‘We are not the only country to have raised concerns. We would raise concerns if any other country had done something similarly.’

China is Australia’s biggest trading partner and newly elected prime minister Tony Abbott has pushed for deeper ties with the Asian giant.

BDST: 1238 HRS, NOV 28, 2013