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AUSTRALIA has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping its markets open to ASEAN nations, underlining a shared responsibility for maintaining regional peace, prosperity, and openness.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, speaking at the Australia–Southeast Asia forum during her working visit to Malaysia, said that Australia’s longstanding partnership with ASEAN is grounded in mutual benefit and economic interdependence.
“Our markets will remain open to you. We will uphold our trade agreements and strengthen them further, such as through the upgrade of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement,” she said.
“This is in our interest as much as it is in yours.”
Wong’s visit coincides with the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with Australia, held in conjunction with the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM). She noted that ASEAN remains Australia’s second-largest trading partner, with total trade reaching AUD122.2 billion in 2019.
“When it comes to Southeast Asia, Australia is fully invested — delivering over half a billion dollars in initiatives announced at last year’s ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, and working together on issues that matter to both sides,” Wong said.
She cited energy security, climate resilience, and education as key areas of cooperation under Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy.
Highlighting past reforms, Wong added: “Australia opened its economy to the region and the world long ago. In fact, it was labour market deregulation that paved the way for reforms in capital and exchange rate markets in Australia.
“My predecessors dismantled tariff barriers, and I can assure you this will not change.”
Separately, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, in a keynote speech at the Trilateral Meeting between Malaysia, Switzerland, and the ASEAN Secretariat, called on ASEAN and Switzerland to act as united voices for peace amid growing global instability.
“This is especially critical in an era where warlike discourse has come to dominate global narratives,” he said.
Mohamad stressed the importance of upholding international law and addressing the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
“There is a need for Israel to be held accountable for its relentless atrocities and ongoing violations of international law in Gaza and elsewhere in the region,” he said.
“Permitting such inhumanity and impunity to go unpunished raises deeply troubling questions about the credibility of the international community and its institutions.”
He emphasised that both ASEAN and Switzerland are uniquely positioned to promote dialogue and global cooperation.
“ASEAN, through its annual meetings, serves as a unique forum where nations — including major powers — convene to address shared concerns and promote cooperation for mutual benefit,” he said.
“Switzerland, as the host of the World Economic Forum in Davos, holds a pivotal position as a convener of global discussions on economic, social, and environmental challenges.
“Together, we must raise a collective voice in support of dialogue and peace.”
The trilateral meeting formed part of the wider 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and its associated sessions with Dialogue and Sectoral Dialogue Partners. - July 10, 2025
