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.
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