Opinion | Australia-Asean summit exposed more than desire for economic deals

“The Special Summit marks a profound milestone in the partnership between Asean and Australia,” the leaders of Australia and Southeast Asian nations declared during their gathering in Melbourne to commemorate the 50th year of bilateral relations.

As a sign of its commitment to the region, Australia also committed A$2 billion (US$1.3 billion) to boosting bilateral trade and investment ties with Southeast Asia. The summit, however, took place in the shadow of multiple geopolitical flashpoints, which revealed profound fault lines not only between Canberra and Asean nations but also among Southeast Asian nations themselves.

Muslim-majority Asean states advocated for a tougher stance on Israel’s conduct and the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Meanwhile, there were also deep divisions within Asean over the South China Sea disputes.

Amid yet another major incident in disputed waters, the Philippines hoped to rally international support in its ongoing maritime struggle with China. But other key members such as Malaysia, which is also a claimant state, insisted they have no problems with China, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reiterating his warning against “China-phobia”.

In many ways, the summit marked a crowning diplomatic achievement for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s administration. It underscored Canberra’s renewed focus on Southeast Asia as a main thrust of its foreign policy agenda while also affirming Australia’s strategic relevance to a whole host of dynamic and geopolitically relevant nations.