Penny Wong urges ASEAN leaders to be ‘bold’ and guard against conflict

Penny Wong asks leaders to work together to commit to ‘preventive architecture’ against conflict, likening a regional war to those in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Penny Wong delivers her keynote speech during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. Picture: Getty Images

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged ASEAN leaders to be “bold” and commit to a “preventive architecture” to help avert the outbreak of a major conflict in the region, warning that it would be “devastating to our communities and economies”

Speaking at the ASEAN-­Australia special summit in Melbourne, Senator Wong likened a conflict in Southeast Asia to the devastation of the unfolding wars in the Middle East and Europe.

She said the region faced its most “confronting circumstances” for decades and identified the importance of strengthened efforts to preserve stability, trust and dialogue.

Unveiling nearly $300m in funding to enhance maritime co-operation and resilience in the Mekong subregion, Senator Wong called on South East Asia to work together to reduce the “risk of conflict through miscalculation or misunderstanding”.

She called on participants in the summit to be “bold” and commit to developing a “preventive architecture” – declaring “nothing less than the peace and prosperity of our region is at stake”.

Without naming China, Senator Wong said the region’s character was “under challenge” and took aim at “claims and actions that are inconsistent with international law”

But in a joint press conference alongside Anthony Albanese later on Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that if Western countries like America and Australia had problems with China, then “they should not impose it upon us”.

“China seems to be the leading investor into Malaysia,” he said. “We are an independent nation. We are fiercely independent. We do not want to be dictated by any force. So, once we remain to be an important friend to the United States or Europe and here in Australia, they should not preclude us from being friendly to one of our important neighbours, precisely China.”

“If they have problems with China, they should not impose it upon us. We do not have a problem with China.”

Mr Albanese and Mr Ibrahim acknowledged the importance of strengthening maritime security and “reiterated their commitment to reinforcing regional stability” by countering terrorism, violent extremism, money laundering, people smuggling and other transnational crimes.

Mr Albanese said Australia and Malaysia would be able to engage in “more comprehensive information sharing and cyber skills development” going forwards.

While Malaysia does not formally recognise Israel – unlike Australia – the two leaders said they shared similar sentiments towards the conflict in calling for a permanent ceasefire.

Rory Medcalf, head of the Australian National Security College at the Australian National University, said that Senator Wong’s call for boldness was “welcome and based on a recognition that the current regional institutions are simply not fit for the purpose of preventing conflict involving major powers”.

“The problem now is how to stop China weaponising its own risk-taking and others’ timidity as it seeks to dominate Asian ­waters,” he said.

“Penny Wong is urging ASEAN and many other countries to live up to the promise of using the ‘architecture’ of regional meetings to reduce risks of coercion and war.

“That means calling out China’s transgressions.”

ASEAN secretary-general, Kao Kim Hourn, told The Australian the grouping had a “very strong position” to “ensure that we have peace, we have stability”. He said he could not “speak on behalf of China”.

Dr Hourn said Australia’s promise that its future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines – being acquired under the AUKUS framework – would not be armed with nuclear weapons was taken by ASEAN at “face value”.

“But, of course, how that will evolve, I think will determine whether Australia has been ­honest with us or not … what you say and what you do will be ­monitored.”

Senator Wong used her address on Monday to warn the existing order faced “destabilising, provocative and coercive actions including unsafe conduct at sea and in the air and militarisation of disputed features”.

“We know military power is expanding but measures to constrain military conflict are not and there are few conflict mechanisms for averting it,” she said.

“Shared prosperity is an incentive to maintain peace. Yet it is not enough to guarantee peace. The stakes are clear. We know that a major conflict in our region would be devastating to our communities and economies, as the terrible conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine have shown.

“So we all have a responsibility to shape the region we want, the region we want to share – peaceful, stable and prosperous. A region in balance where each country can pursue its own aspirations where no country dominates and no country is dominated.”

Senator Wong said it would require countries in the region to “nurture and protect agreed rules to uphold international law to prevent conflict and to build strategic trust”.

She noted the importance of regular dialogue between China and the US and reiterated the benefits of open lines of communication between Washington and Beijing.

“We welcome the resumption of leader-level and military-level dialogue between the United States and China. These are important steps on the path toward stability that the region has called for,” she said.

Senator Wong announced the commitment of $64m over four years to “enhance Australia’s South East Asia maritime partnerships” and pledged Australia would work “with the region to protect and secure maritime and riverine resources and environments”.