4-3-2024 (MELBOURNE) Australia has announced increased funding for a maritime security pact with ASEAN countries, addressing significant defence threats in the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asian regions. During a summit with the Southeast Asian bloc, Foreign Minister Penny Wong revealed that Australia would allocate A$64 million ($41.8 million) over four years, including A$40 million in new funding, to enhance regional security and prosperity in line with the priorities of Southeast Asian nations.
In a summit speech, Wong highlighted the challenges faced by the region, including destabilizing, provocative, and coercive actions, such as unsafe conduct at sea and in the air. She emphasized the critical importance of free and open sea lanes in the South China Sea for regional trade, stating, “What happens in the South China Sea, in the Taiwan Strait, in the Mekong subregion, across the Indo-Pacific, affects us all.”
China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, contested by several Southeast Asian nations, have been a source of tension. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled against China’s claims, stating they had no legal basis. Wong’s announcement comes amid growing concerns over China’s activities in the region.
Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo underscored the strategic significance of the South China Sea, emphasizing the need for regional cooperation and diplomacy over confrontation. He addressed the escalating efforts by the Philippines to counter what it perceives as China’s aggressive activities in the South China Sea, which have also heightened tensions between China and the United States.
Manalo affirmed the importance of international law and called for solidarity in opposing actions that contradict or are inconsistent with it. He urged nations in the region to stand firmly together in defense of established international norms.
Australia’s commitment to increasing joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea was reiterated during the summit. The decision to boost funding for the maritime security pact aligns with Australia’s ongoing efforts to strengthen regional partnerships and address shared security challenges.
The summit, held in Melbourne from Monday to Wednesday, marks 50 years since Australia became the first external partner of ASEAN.
