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Australia and South-east Asia are drifting apart over US-China rivalry
As Canberra doubles down on ties with the US and Aukus, its hopes of forging deeper links with Asean face growing headwinds.
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Chinese Premier Li Qiang meeting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra in June 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was elected in 2023, amid grand plans to reboot and enhance the country’s ties with South-east Asia. Yet his visit to the region in end-October was a stark reminder that this was always going to be a task easier said than done.
To his credit, Mr Albanese’s visit to Malaysia for the Asean and East Asia Summit gatherings and to South Korea for the Apec summit, where he met regional leaders and received a warm reception, were smooth and trouble-free.
