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5 November: The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs

05 Nov 2021
By Isabella Keith
Parliament House At Dusk, Canberra ACT Source: Thennicke https://bit.ly/2ZsyTT3

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Morrison at the G20 and COP26, climate agreements with Indonesia, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea, and more.

This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended the G20 Rome Summit from 30-31 October and the UN climate conference in Glasgow (COP26) from 1-2 November. Morrison referred to COP26 as “crucial in the global effort to address the challenges of climate change” and that he looked forward to supporting the achievement of the Paris Agreement objectives “and to collaborate to collectively deliver net zero emissions by 2050.” He further noted that he will use the opportunity of the G20 and COP26 to meet bilaterally with “key partners”.

Morrison also discussed the AUKUS agreement on 1 November at COP26 in a press conference. He referred to Australia-France relations following the AUKUS announcement, noting that “Australia will happily work with France on projects of mutual interest. I think it’s clear from [French] President Macron’s statements yesterday that the level of offence is still very great and we will wait for that to subside.” Morrison denied any claims that he had lied to President Macron, and that he had “made it very clear [to Macron] that … a conventional submarine was not going to meet our strategic needs.”

On 1 November, Morrison addressed COP26 where he referred to the “Australian Way” of reaching the net zero by 2050 target through “driving down the cost of technology and enabling it to be adopted at scale.” He further stated that “technology will have the answers to a decarbonised economy … and achieve it in a way that does not deny our citizens, especially in developing economies, their livelihoods or the opportunity for a better quality of life.” Morrison referred to Australia as “ahead of the pack” in its emissions reduction and that Australia will “far exceed our Paris commitment”. He noted that Australia is “forging technology partnerships domestically and abroad – with Singapore, Germany, the UK, Japan, Korea and Indonesia – and we are close to concluding one with India.”

During COP26 and the G20, Morrison issued joint announcements with the leaders of Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. Morrison met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the G20 on 30 October and subsequently announced that the two nations had agreed to a Joint Statement on Cooperation on the Green Economy and Climate Transition, which “acknowledges the priority to address climate change and reduce gas emissions.” On 1 November, he met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Minh Chinh to announce the finalisation of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Strategy and to sign a Joint Statement on the two nations’ commitment to Practical Climate Change Action. Following a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Morrison noted on 1 November that Australia will welcome fully-vaccinated Singaporean travellers in a quarantine-free travel arrangement from 21 November. Morrison also met with the Republic of Korean President Moon Jae-in and issued a joint media statement announcing the Australia-Republic of Korea Low and Zero Emissions Technology Partnership.

On 1 November, Morrison welcomed Fiji as the first international partner to join Australia’s new Indo-Pacific Carbon Offsets Scheme. The agreement was signed between Morrison and Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama. Morrison stated that, “we look forward to working with Fiji, other members of our Pacific family, and Asian partners to share our expertise and drive investment in low emissions technologies.” He also announced an additional $44 million in funding for the Scheme.

Morrison announced on 1 November that Australia is committing an additional $500 million over the next five years to its “international climate finance commitment … to support developing countries in our region as they tackle the impacts of climate change.” He said that “Australia’s assistance will support Pacific and Southeast Asian countries to enhance climate resilience for future infrastructure investments, including roads, schools and bridges”. Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne noted that “cooperation on climate is important to Australia’s international relationships and has been central to many of our discussions with key Indo-Pacific partners.”

On 2 November, Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and Minister for Trade Dan Tehan announced that Australia has ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). Payne and Tehan referred to RCEP as “the world’s largest free trade agreement” that brings “nine of Australia’s top 15 trading partners into a single economic framework.” The Ministers further noted that “Australia’s ratification of RCEP does not change the Government’s grave concerns regarding the situation in Myanmar … We will continue to work with our ASEAN and other partners to support regional efforts towards a resolution.”

Tehan noted that quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to Australia resumed on 1 November. He referred to the resumption of this arrangement as “a major boost for tourism and confidence” and “another important marker on our road to recovery [which will] encourage more Australians to dust off their passport and plan their next holiday.”

On 29 November, Tehan announced the release of a “landmark” Australian-German study which has “found great potential for Australian hydrogen to supply growing demand in Germany.” The report, entitled The Case for an Australian Hydrogen Export Market to Germany: State of Play, investigates the feasibility of “a supply chain spanning the production, storage, transport and use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy.” Tehan stated that “partnerships such as this one allows for the free flow of technologies between countries which will drive down emissions far more effectively than protectionism and taxes.”

Minister for Defence Peter Dutton and his United Kingdom counterpart, Ben Wallace, announced on 29 November that a UK Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine had visited Perth that day to “demonstrate the strong existing naval partnership between Australia and the United Kingdom.” Dutton referred to the visit as reflecting the commitment between the AUKUS partners to “bolstering our collective efforts in meeting the challenges posed by our strategic circumstances in the Indo-Pacific.” He further stated that “we look forward to continued engagement [with the UK] over the coming decades as we work together in the pursuit of a secure, stable and prosperous region.”

On 1 November, Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke issued a statement on the introduction of two new permanent residence visa streams for Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders. According to Hawke, the new visas “will provide a pathway for temporary graduates and temporary skilled workers from Hong Kong currently in Australia on extended visas and will build on the already-close family connections and economic ties with Hong Kong that have existed for many years.”

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.

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