Asean-Australia ties at 40: rising strategic partners

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REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Asean-Australia ties at 40: rising strategic partners
Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation

Australia has been trying to place Asean on the central stage of its foreign policy for the past four decades

BANGKOK: -- The first two decades were productive and meaningful because of the political transformation taking place in the region after the end of the Cold War. Canberra fittingly played the role of an effective mediator and peacemaker in Cambodia's 13-year civil war. Only Australia and selective Asean members — Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore — worked together to help freshly independent East Timor find its feet. Asean was not yet ready to render its flag for such a common endeavour.

It was the region's economic potential that got Australian enthralled. Without a strong push from Down Under, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC would not have been established back in 1989. The list continues and grows longer with other development assistance that would enhance the effectiveness of the Jakarta-based Asean Secretariat and economic integration in Asean.

Luckily, what Canberra accomplished during the Hawke-Keating years continued to serve as a strong foundation for its relations with Asean in the following two decades, which expanded to cover all multi-dimensional cooperation.

The recent barrage of controversies related to spying, asylum seekers and other headline-making shenanigans should have burned relations to ashes. Indeed, without such a firm base, it would be difficult to view Asean-Australian relations as they stand today.

In recent years, asylum seekers have been the main issue poisoning ties with the grouping's largest member, Indonesia. Continued squabbling over the fate of these boat people further worsened relations and impeded regional efforts to help them. Past efforts had been focused on a comprehensive resolution to this sensitive issue without much progress, mainly due to a lack of political will from all concerned parties.

Somehow in recent days, Asean-Australia ties have continued to elude media attention Down Under. Reports and analysis are mainly focused on individual members of Asean countries rather than on a regional entity which could impact on the future of Australia.

Before the launch of the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement recently, the Asean-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement was the country's biggest free trade event ever signed. Currently, Australia is the seventh largest investor in Asean and its two-way trade last year amounted to US$68 billion.

In the decades to come, the quality and significance of Asean-Australia ties will depend much on better dialogue and communication at the top level as well as issue-specific cooperation. As widely noted, Australia was Asean's first dialogue partner - but still it does not have a stand-alone annual summit with Asean leaders.

In retrospect, Asean-Australia relations could have been more strongly intertwined if former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, who met the Asean leaders in 1977 in Kuala Lumpur, had more faith in the young regional grouping and was more cooperative. The same was true for former prime minister Kevin Rudd and his grand security community blueprint in Asia-Pacific. Given the proliferation of new ideas related to regional security architecture, Rudd was a bit ahead of his time. Between Asean and Australia, leadership rapport must be stronger and mutual consultations more frequent.

At last, after 37 years, on November 13, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott met briefly - due to tight schedules - with the Asean leaders to commemorate their 40th anniversary of relations. They met in Nay Pyi Taw instead of in his country, a break from previous similar gatherings. The leaders' rhetoric had changed, they were talking about shared destiny and working together. Before that, Asean held three summits with Australia in 1997, 2004 and 2010. Only the 2010 meeting was exclusive and turned out to be the most substantive in setting forth future bilateral direction. With other major dialogue partners all enjoying the summitry, it is about time to institutionalise the Asean-Australia summit.

In August, both sides approved the most ambitious 113 action plans for the next five years (2015-2019) - to boost their multi-dimensional cooperation encompassing economics, security, science and technology, social and cultural fields. It must be noted here that more than any dialogue partner, Australia has been supportive of functional assistance to Asean. However, given the rapid shift of the regional and global environment, as well as growing integration and connectivity, Asean and Australia must think proactively and innovatively on how to engage and identify new priorities.

The launching of the New Colombo Plan late last year was a signature programme that will keep present and future generations and their institu?tions working together.

Pressing non-traditional security issues these days - such as the Islamic State extremists, Ebola crisis and climate change - also demands closer consultation and cooperation at all levels between Asean and Australia. As the latest East Asia Summit manifested, at times of emergency and crises, only leaders can provide clear paths for multilateral cooperation.

Given the widespread use of cyber-space and dangers lurking beneath, both sides must think of ways to overcome their narrow national perspectives. They need to move into regional and international cooperation in the area of cyber security, which requires top-level clearance and highly sophisticated technical and data exchanges. Obviously, additional trust building is urgently needed to kick start cyber security cooperation.

Despite its western roots, Australia is an Asian country. Its future is tied to Asia. Unmistakably Asean serves as an anchor for this vast nation to find security and prosperity in this part of the world.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Asean-Australia-ties-at-40-rising-strategic-partne-30248405.html

-- The Nation 2014-11-24

[NeverSure]

"Despite its western roots, Australia is an Asian country."

If that's true, I just learned something.

[heybuz]

geographically thats true and for a long time that has been the consensus of politicians on both sides of australian politics

[loongdavid]

"Despite its western roots, Australia is an Asian country. Its future is tied to Asia. Unmistakably Asean serves as an anchor for this vast nation to find security and prosperity in this part of the world".

I think there would be a lot of Asians who would disagree with that statement, in particular Malaysia's former PM Mahathir Mohamed who never missed an opportunity to slander Australia and New Zealand. A lot of other influential Asian politicians constantly seek to keep Australia and New Zealand at arms length in the assumption that their membership or involvement would amount to some sort of quasi colonialism. This attitude does little to foster meaningful relations and only shows certain Asians as being both insecure and ill-informed.

[wirat69]

"Despite its western roots, Australia is an Asian country."

If that's true, I just learned something.

Just be careful how you repeat the statement up Queensland way!!!

[heybuz]

"Despite its western roots, Australia is an Asian country."

If that's true, I just learned something.

Just be careful how you repeat the statement up Queensland way!!!

i come from QLD

[masuk]

"Despite its western roots, Australia is an Asian country. Its future is tied to Asia. Unmistakably Asean serves as an anchor for this vast nation to find security and prosperity in this part of the world".

I think there would be a lot of Asians who would disagree with that statement, in particular Malaysia's former PM Mahathir Mohamed who never missed an opportunity to slander Australia and New Zealand. A lot of other influential Asian politicians constantly seek to keep Australia and New Zealand at arms length in the assumption that their membership or involvement would amount to some sort of quasi colonialism. This attitude does little to foster meaningful relations and only shows certain Asians as being both insecure and ill-informed.

Look what Mahathir did to his opposition, cooking up sodomy charges. That guy has some kangaroos loose in the top paddock.

Wasn't it him who decreed that English could no longer be used as the prime language in educational institutions? Fortunately this was eventually overthrown, but it caused a lot of damage to what was a high English-speaking country.

Malaysia's attitude to Singapore was obviously to ensure that native Malays were never outnumbered by Chinese, and Singapore was dropped from the Malaysian confederation.

[Time Traveller]

"Despite its western roots, Australia is an Asian country."

If that's true, I just learned something.

Rewriting the history and geography books to fit the agenda.