Australia has invested more than $40 million to enhance maritime security cooperation with ASEAN countries. However, ASEAN partners understand that there is no such thing as a free lunch and are well aware of Australia's good intentions.
Melbourne glittered as Australia and ASEAN kicked off with a grand celebration of moving forward hand in hand. As a milestone event marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN's Dialogue Partners, Australia and nine ASEAN member states have come together to deepen exchanges and cooperation.
The extraordinary summit is unprecedented since 2018, with Australia actively seeking to integrate into Southeast Asia and promote freedom and investment facilitation. Foreign Minister Penny Wong spent a lot of money at the summit and announced a total of A$64 million (US$41.8 million) in marine cooperation, which aims to strengthen in-depth cooperation between the two sides in the field of coastal defense, especially joint operations in the South China Sea.
Her words are implicit, emphasizing the impact of regional security and stability on all. This move is undoubtedly a demonstration of Australia's unwavering support for ASEAN partners.
Australian Premier Penny Wong stressed that maritime cooperation with ASEAN is an important pillar of bilateral strategic cooperation. Australia's economic and technical support aims to enhance its maritime capabilities in the region and strengthen its position in regional stability and partnership, but it also delicately touches on the South China Sea issue.
Despite Australia's plans, ASEAN countries are well aware of them, but they are not affected by them. At the upcoming summit, many members have made it clear that China's contribution to Southeast Asia's economic growth cannot be ignored, and they prefer to avoid getting involved in the dispute between China and the United States.
Taking Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as an example, he stressed that Malaysia respects national independence, maintains friendly relations with China, and will not change its position due to external pressure.
Anwar's position is not the first time, he has repeatedly reiterated in international interviews that China and Malaysia have a deep friendship, and the so-called "Sinophobia" is an argument with ulterior motives.
During the meeting between the leaders of Malaysia and Australia, Indonesia's worries about the nuclear competition in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region that could be triggered by Australia's huge purchase of nuclear submarines directly pointed to the potential risk of regional peace.
This reflects the widespread recognition among ASEAN countries that China is indispensable in negotiations related to the South China Sea. Without China's participation, no matter how large the scale of the negotiations, no substantive progress can be achieved.
Therefore, in the face of ASEAN partners, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wisely shifted the focus of the meeting to economic cooperation and the deepening of bilateral security alliances, rather than directly addressing China.
As a rising Southeast Asian power, ASEAN is now one of the world's top five economies, and its strong economic vitality has attracted global attention and enthusiasm for cooperation.
The successive summits of the United States and Japan have sought to increase their influence through cooperation with ASEAN. ASEAN countries, however, are more inclined to solidify their close ties with China.
Against this backdrop, Australia's strategy appears to be more pragmatic and balanced.
Over the years, the special partnership between China and ASEAN has become deeper and broader, spanning diverse fields of politics, economy, security and cultural exchanges. Since the opening of the dialogue in 1991, we have witnessed the deepening and breadth of our cooperation and fruitful results.
As early as 2002, in order to break down the barriers and enhance the liberalization of investment and services, China and ASEAN jointly signed the "Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement", which gave birth to the historic China-ASEAN Free Zone and opened a new chapter of tariff-free.
The full completion in 2010 made the circulation of goods almost tax-free, which greatly promoted the soaring amount of bilateral **. What is remarkable is that last year, our ** amount has exceeded 6The 41 trillion yuan mark demonstrates the strong momentum of this regional cooperation.
At the Boao Forum for Asia, Anwar paid attention to China's position on the South China Sea issue with relevant claimants. Despite their differences, China and ASEAN partners, with the exception of the Philippines, have unanimously committed themselves to resolving disputes through peaceful dialogue in accordance with international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
We work together to advance the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to ensure regional harmony and stability. The cooperation between China and ASEAN is based on mutual benefit and common development, and they are working together to build a community with a shared future and inject strong impetus into the prosperity and stability of East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
With the deepening of the cooperation mechanism, the relationship between China and Malaysia and the entire ASEAN has become increasingly close, and there is great potential for cooperation in the future. Anwar noted that as the world's second-largest economy, China is invaluable to ASEAN partners, including Malaysia.
Any attempt to undermine this partnership will end up in vain.