Economy, security and maritime freedom top agenda as ASEAN leaders travel to Australia
Australia and Malaysia have signed new deals that will see them bolster co-operation on higher education, youth sport, cyber security and the nuclear test ban treaty.
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Australia and Malaysia have signed new deals that will see them bolster co-operation on higher education, youth sport, cyber security and the nuclear test ban treaty.
In his first bilateral meeting of the ASEAN summit, Anthony Albanese met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at Government House in Melbourne on Monday afternoon.
The pair also discussed Australia’s defence co-operation, immigration and border issues.
The new memorandum of understanding will deepen partnerships between Australian and Malaysian universities and other vocational training institutions, as well as provide opportunities for the next generation of young sports people to train side-by-side.
The countries also signed a memorandum of understanding to enable cyber skills development, as well as information sharing on the ban on nuclear weapon testing.
Mr Albanese said the countries had engaged through education, resources such as LNG, and agriculture – but there were more opportunities.
“We are located in the fastest growing region of the world in human history and with that comes the opportunity to co-operate, to exchange,” he said.
“We have a shared history of friendship, of co-operation, and increasingly it is a relationship based upon our economic benefit that comes from mutual trade and engagement.
“I look forward to visiting Malaysia at some future stage as well.”
Mr Anwar also congratulated him on the Dunkley by-election win, which coincided with Mr Albanese’s birthday.
He said he wanted to give “more substance” to Malaysia’s comprehensive strategic partnership with Australia, adding their co-operation on cyber security was important for counter-terrorism initiatives and the digital transformation.
Mr Anwar acknowledged the “problems” they had with Australian rare earths mining company Lynas following a temporary closure last year but said they had since been resolved.
MH370 anniversary tributes
Anthony Albanese said his thoughts were with the loved ones of six Australian citizens and one Kiwi who resided in Western Australia ahead of Friday’s 10-year anniversary of the disappearance of MH370.
“We acknowledge at this time the ongoing grief for loved ones, and deeply regret that the aircraft has been unable to be located, despite the extensive searches which took place in the southern Indian Ocean,” Mr Albanese said.
“We understand that … it will be a very difficult time for people, because they weren’t given the certainty that would come with a successful search mission.”
Mr Anwar said if there was compelling evidence, Malaysia would “certainly be happy to reopen” the search efforts saying “whatever needs to be done must be done”.
Asked if Malaysia had concerns about Australia’s attempts to bolster its own military capacity in the face of Beijing’s own massive military build-up, Mr Anwar said: “We are an independent nation, we are fiercely independent, we do not want to be dictated (to) by any force”.
“It remains to be an important friend to the US and Europe and here in Australia, they should not preclude us from being friendly to one of our important neighbours, precisely China,” he said.
“If they have problems with China, they should not impose it upon us. We do not have a problem with China.”
The leaders also announced a new maritime co-operation package to strengthen capability and build expertise in international law of the sea and marine environmental protection.
It will also work to reduce shipping emissions and drive co-operation on renewable energy uptake.
Albo hosts key leaders in Australia
Australia will use a historic meeting of southeast Asian leaders in Melbourne to forge stronger security and economic ties to counter China’s destabilising influence in the region.
Maritime issues like protecting against Beijing’s advances in contested sea regions will be a major focus when the heads ten regional allies converge on the city for the three-day ASEAN-Australia Special Summit from Monday.
Anthony Albanese has flagged the meeting will be an opportunity for Australia to tap into the rapidly growing economies like Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, increase trade with major partners like Indonesia and Singapore and ensure peace continues in the region.
The Prime Minister said investments that create local jobs in Australia would be a key focus of the summit.
“That’s what our international engagements are about,” he said.
“Benefit for Australia in terms of our economy, but also in our uncertain world, and national security interests as well.”
Ahead of the ASEAN leaders gathering, Mr Albanese last week met with Philippines President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr in Canberra where the pair announced an agreement to increase maritime co-operation.
Beijing’s mouthpiece, The Global Times newspaper, reacted by warning the federal government against becoming “an anti-China tool of Manila and see the hard-won recovery of China-Australia relations fall to a low point once again”.
Australia has already begun joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, where Beijing has made contested territorial claims on multiple shoals and small islands.
La Trobe Asia director Professor Bec Strating said the maritime conflict and contested seas would be “front and centre” at the leaders summit in Melbourne this week.
“Maritime and sovereignty disputes and contestation in key domains such as the South and East China Seas will again play an important role shaping Asia’s security order in 2024 and beyond,” she said.
The leaders of every ASEAN nation except Myanmar will be attending the Melbourne meetings, with New Zealand and Timor Leste to attend as observers.
Human Rights Watch Australia director Daniela Gavshon has called for Australia to guide ASEAN talks toward human rights and show violations are a “key foreign policy concern”.
“This high-level meeting would be a lost opportunity for Australia and the people of ASEAN countries if the Australian government were to gloss over human rights issues,” she said.
Human Rights Watch has argued that as China’s political, economic and military clout increases, Australia should focus on the rights of southeast Asian people to better counter Beijing’s threat to human rights in the region.
The group has also raised concerns about ASEAN’s failure to deal with the “spiralling” humanitarian crisis in Myanmar since the military coup in 2021.
Business figures and academics are also expected to attend events in Melbourne held in addition to the main political leaders summit, which will have four themes of boosting economic engagement, accelerating the clean energy transition, increasing maritime co-operation and supporting emerging leaders.
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Originally published as Economy, security and maritime freedom top agenda as ASEAN leaders travel to Australia
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