Anthony Albanese rejects ‘Asian NATO’ proposal
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dismissed the idea of an Asian regional security body, similar to NATO, to protect against threats.
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China’s growing aggression in the South China Sea will not prompt the formation of an ‘Asian NATO’ security bloc, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru had previously pushed for the creation of a body in the region similar to NATO, an organisation including 32 member states through Europe and America formed to counterweight the Soviet Union, which commits to protecting one another if any one is attacked.
But in Laos on Friday, following two days of Mr Albanese meeting with the heads of various Asian countries including China, the Prime Minister instead backed existing security agreements over the idea pushed ahead of the summit by Mr Shigeru.
“We have our own arrangements,” he said, pointing to the Quad arrangement with Japan, India and the US.
“Australia has defence relationships, including a defence relationship with Japan…(the idea of an Asian NATO) hasn’t been raised in these two days.”
Mr Albanese also said Australia had to make no concessions to China for the latter country to lift its ban on Aussie lobsters, which he announced on Thursday after meeting with China Premier Li Qiang.
He said the dropping of the ban - and China getting access again to the produce - was benefit enough for the country.
“You know what China gets out of getting our live lobsters? Our live lobsters, they’re pretty good,” he said.
On his last day in Laos, Mr Albanese held bilateral meeting with leaders from Thailand, Japan and Vietnam.
At the East Asia summit held on Friday, Mr Albanese sat between Premier Li and Philippines president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos - just days after the Chinese Coast guard fired water cannons at Filipino vessels in the South China Sea.
Mr Albanese, asked if there was tensions between the two, said “no… (they are) mature in the way that they deal with these issues”.
Mr Albanese on Friday morning also spoke at a breakfast marking the first anniversary of Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy, a blueprint to improve trade and economic links with countries in the region.
The Prime Minister used the speech to underline the importance of trade in preventing conflict - telling heavyweight business figures and other leaders present including Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that security reasons were just as strong of a driver for the plan as economic reasons.
“At a time where there is uncertainty, (where) there is too much conflict, building economic relationships helps to build peace and security at the same time,” he said. “This is about our national security strategy as well as our economic security strategy as well for the region.”
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Originally published as Anthony Albanese rejects ‘Asian NATO’ proposal