Australia reaffirms commitment to regional sovereignty and stability, says Penny Wong

KUALA LUMPUR: Australia will continue collaborating with Asean countries and other international partners to ensure a region where sovereignty is protected, stated Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

She emphasised that Australia aims for a region with a balance of power and strategic stability, allowing countries to make their own choices without coercion or duress.

“That is Australia’s position and we will keep working with countries of the region and beyond to assure that,” she told reporters during a brief press conference held on the sidelines of East Asia Forum and Asean Regional Forum meetings here on Friday (July 11).

Wong highlighted that Australia’s administration has been advocating for a more balanced approach in the region.

“I’ve made it clear for a number of years now, that we want to see a region where no one country dominates and no country is dominated,” she said.

In her address at an Australia and Southeast Asia forum here on Thursday (July 10), Wong expressed concerns over Chinese vessels engaging in destabilising and dangerous conduct in the South China Sea.

“We don’t want might over multilateralism. We don’t want rule by power alone with no reference to the law, forcing outcomes by economic coercion or military muscle rather than on the level playing field that we are building together,” she said.