Regional Stability: ASEAN must harness collective power to shape region - Wong - Video Dailymotion

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At the ISIS Malaysia Forum, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Southeast Asia and Australia to collaborate in shaping the region’s future, emphasising ASEAN’s collective strength amid current challenges.

Transcript

00:00Now, earlier today, we also met with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong

00:04at the ISIS Malaysia Forum on Australia and Southeast Asia.

00:08During her address, Wong calls for Southeast Asia and Australia

00:11to work together in shaping the region's future.

00:15She stresses that ASEAN should not underestimate its collective power

00:20as it navigates the uncertainties and challenges currently facing the region.

00:25President Prabowo said in May,

00:27For five decades, ASEAN has stood as a pillar of peace, stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia.

00:34Let us not always underestimate our strength and our power.

00:38I say again, let us not underestimate our strength and our power.

00:42This moment in our history is an opportunity for Australia and Southeast Asia

00:46to recognise that the stability of our region can only be secured through collective responsibility,

00:52that we must build the region we want, not just accept the region we face.

00:59And we do this by integrating our economies further.

01:02We do this by building our resilience.

01:05We do this by taking forward our defence and security cooperation.

01:08We do this by growing our development partnerships

01:11and by investing more in our efforts to prevent conflict

01:15because none of our nations can achieve the future we want on our own.

01:20According to Wong, the economies of ASEAN collectively make up Australia's second largest trading partner,

01:27with Canberra implementing half a billion dollars' worth of initiatives in Southeast Asia,

01:32announced at last year's ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

01:35Australia's Southeast Asia economic strategy, she said,

01:39aimed to deepen cooperation in areas such as energy security, climate resilience, education and more.

01:45During tumultuous times, Wong also reaffirmed Australia's commitment to a rule-based order

01:51and that Canberra will continue to invest in regional partnerships

01:55and defend the international norms that underpin peace and prosperity.

02:01We know that we must shape the region we want,

02:04a region that is open and peaceful

02:06and we know that to do this will demand an unprecedented application of our national power

02:13working across all arms of statecraft.

02:16For Australia, we will keep prioritising this region, the Indo-Pacific,

02:19where our interests are most at stake.

02:22We will keep investing not only in our traditional relationships

02:26but also in a more diverse set of partnerships.

02:29We will keep working to uphold the international rules and norms

02:33that underpin our prosperity.

02:35This is Australia's objective and it is our intent.

02:39To prioritise our region, our relationships and the rules that protect us

02:44so we can uphold our values and deliver on our interests.

02:48And that is why I am here in KL,

02:51to take part in the East Asia Summit Foreign Minister's Meetings

02:55and the ASEAN Regional Forum

02:56to find collective solutions to our toughest shared challenges.

03:00Wang also highlighted growing concerns over Chinese vessel activities in the South China Sea,

03:08emphasising the need for regional stability and a balance of power.

03:12She said while no country, including the United States,

03:15seeks military confrontation with China,

03:18it's crucial to ensure that no single power dominates

03:21and that all countries are free from coercion.

03:24And that is why we are realistic about China's objectives

03:27in changing the regional balance of power

03:29and it is clear in China's public political discourse.

03:34And this realism also informs how we have stabilised our relationship with China

03:38and how we strengthen our partnerships with the rest of the region.

03:42None of us, including the United States,

03:45seeks military confrontation with China

03:47in the South China Sea, the East China Sea

03:50or across the Taiwan Strait.

03:52What we do seek is a balance of power

03:54where no country dominates and no country is dominated.

Regional Stability: ASEAN must harness collective power to shape region - Wong

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