A Chinese-born Australian senator on Wednesday defended Beijing's claims to a chain of disputed islands at the center of growing tensions in the South China Sea, saying the country with the most power "at the time" will emerge triumphant.
Dio Wang, a senator from mining magnate Clive Palmer's small but influential Palmer United Party (PUP), made the comments just days after his defense of Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on prodemocracy protesters drew outrage in Australia.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott opposes Chinese designs on the islands, which are also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, but his government does not control the upper house Senate, where minor parties hold huge sway.