This week in Australian foreign affairs: Morrison and Payne attend the inaugural ASEAN-Australian Leaders’ Summit, Dutton on AUKUS, more COVID-19 support for the Indo-Pacific region, and more.

On 27 October, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne virtually attended the inaugural ASEAN-Australian Leaders’ Summit. At the Summit, ASEAN leaders agreed to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and Australia. Morrison and Payne announced that Australia will invest $154 million into “our cooperation with ASEAN”. The funding will support scholarships for ASEAN leaders to study in Australia and projects to address some of the complex challenges that the region is facing. Morrison and Payne also noted that at the Summit, the Leaders discussed the “shared challenge of climate change and Australia’s target of net zero emissions by 2050.”

Morrison also noted in his virtual address to the ASEAN-Australian Leaders’ Summit that “AUKUS does not change Australia’s commitment to ASEAN or the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.” He reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to international law and the rules-based order, and stated that AUKUS “does not change Australia’s deep, long-standing commitment to nuclear non-proliferation … we will continue to meet all our obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

On 25 October, Morrison also virtually addressed the 2021 ASEAN Business and Investment Summit. He noted Australia’s “focus on the global challenge of climate change” and that reducing emissions “will require practical, scalable and commercially viable technologies.” Morrison stated that Australia’s “major investments to drive our energy transition” will also support ASEAN nations “to transition to secure and affordable low-emissions technologies that can drive development and jobs.” He announced that he “looks forward” to inviting delegates from ASEAN nations to Australia’s Clean Energy Summit, to be hosted in early 2022.

Minister for Defence Peter Dutton published an op-ed, titled “Australia Must Respond to Rising Tensions in the Indo-Pacific,” in the Australian Financial Review’s Defence Special on 26 October. He noted that “more than half of the world’s 470 in-service submarines are already operating in Indo-Pacific waters. Were Australia not to invest in submarines … we would be dangerously exposed.” Dutton referred to Australia’s intention to build nuclear-powered submarines “is the most ambitious project in our nation’s history, dwarfing all others in complexity and scale.” He also stated that whilst the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet is the “first major initiative under AUKUS, it’s certainly not the last.”

Dutton was also interviewed by the Australian Financial Review, where he referred to AUKUS as “the most significant step taken by the Australian government in defence policy in our lifetime.” He noted that Australia’s objective is “to see peace maintained in our region and … a deterrence against China and any other country who might have bad intent over the coming decades.” Dutton also expressed his hopes that the Australia-France diplomatic relationship will be “mended” soon so that the two nations can “continue to work together in the Indo-Pacific.”

Payne, alongside Dutton and Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja, announced that Australia’s COVID-19 partnership with Papua New Guinea has been strengthened, following a request for additional support. On 27 October, the Ministers issued a joint statement which noted that Australia has deployed an additional Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) and a further 14 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, who will assist Papua New Guinea in its response to COVID-19. Payne stated that “Australia and Papua New Guinea know the importance of partnership. Responding to this current COVID-19 outbreak together is no exception.”

On 27 October, Payne also noted that Australia will provide an additional $4.5 million to Myanmar to support their COVID-19 response. The funding will be provided to the Access to Health Fund and delivered through the United Nations Office for Project Services. It will be used to “procure emergency supplies, provide medical treatment, and support COVID-19 prevention and control measures.”

Payne announced on 27 October that Australia is providing a further $3 million in support to assist efforts to “alleviate the humanitarian crisis” in Tigray and northern Ethiopia. This funding will be provided through the International Committee of the Red Cross, and is in addition to Australia’s existing humanitarian assistance funding.

On 25 October, Payne, Seselja, and Minister for Trade Dan Tehan welcomed Telstra’s announcement of its decision to acquire and run Digicel Pacific, the leading telecommunications operator in the South Pacific. They noted that the Government has “committed to providing a financing package through Export Finance Australia of USD 1.33 billion to support Telstra’s acquisition”, stating that such support is “consistent with Australia’s longstanding commitment to growing quality investment in regional infrastructure.” The Ministers further stated that the acquisition reflects the Government’s commitments under the Pacific Step-Up, noting that it “will help with the region’s COVID-19 recovery” and is “fundamentally in the interests of both Australia and our Pacific family.”

Payne acknowledged the 30^th anniversary of Cambodia’s Peace Agreements on 23 October, which “established the principles for the creation of a free and fair democratic nation in Cambodia.” Payne further stated that “Australia is deeply concerned by the deterioration in democratic freedoms and growing intolerance towards peacefully expressed dissenting views.” She noted that Australia encourages the Cambodian Government to “take steps to rebuild relations with the former political opposition and civil society … and to protect and preserve the right to peaceful expression of alternative views as a pathway towards a more tolerant, robust and inclusive Cambodia.” Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, similarly acknowledged the anniversary of the Agreements, noting that “Australia can remain proud” of its role in their negotiation.

On 26 October, Tehan noted that the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s establishment of a dispute settlement panel, as part of the next phase of the process to resolve the dispute “over anti-dumping duties imposed by China on Australian wine.” He stated that “Australia will continue to use the WTO dispute settlement system to vigorously defend the interests of Australian wine producers and exporters … Australia remains open to further discussions with China to resolve this issue.”

Tehan announced on 21 October that the Morrison Government had secured the passage of legislation to implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. He noted that “RCEP will be the world’s largest free trade agreement once it is in force for Australia, the ten ASEAN nations, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. This agreement will make it easier for businesses and investors to operate throughout the Indo-Pacific by delivering greater integration of value chains and shared rules of origin, which ultimately will lead to more jobs, opportunities and economic growth in Australia.”

Isabella Keith is a weekly columnist for Australian Outlook. She is also an undergraduate student at the Australian National University studying Law and Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Isabella’s research interests include international law and comparative constitutional law.

This article is published under a Creative Commons License and may be republished with attribution.