Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Saturday, Apr 27, 2024

Australian PM signals stronger ties with Indonesia on security, climate

Australian PM signals stronger ties with Indonesia on security, climate

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese heralded a deepening relationship with close neighbour Indonesia, pledging stronger cooperation on trade, security and climate change during his first bilateral foreign visit on Monday.
Albanese accompanied his host, President Joko Widodo, for a ride through the presidential palace in the town of Bogor on bamboo bicycles before they began their formal talks.

Stressing the importance of engaging with Southeast Asia's largest economy, the new Australian prime minister brought a high-profile business delegation, along with Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Trade Minister Don Farrell.

"Indonesia is on track to be one of the world's five largest economies," said Albanese, "Revitalising our trade and investment relationship is a priority for my government."

Albanese travelled to Japan for a meting of the Quad group of countries, which includes United States, India and Japan, the day after he was sworn into office in May. His Indonesia visit is his first for one-on-one talks with a foreign leader.

He said Australia would work to realise the potential of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) and also offer technical expertise for the development of Indonesia's planned green, high-tech capital, Nusantara.

Albanese reiterated a A$470 million ($338.49 million) pledge over four years for development in Indonesia and the region, a A$200 million climate and infrastructure partnership with Indonesia, and the creation of a Southeast Asia office in Australia's department of foreign affairs.

"True to my government's ambitious climate targets, I want better access to affordable, reliable and secure clean energy right across our region, as we transition to a net zero world together," he said.

The trip comes as Australia's new Labor government, which ended almost a decade of conservative rule in a May 21 election, signals a greater emphasis on relations with Southeast Asia and climate change, an issue crucial to its Pacific neighbours, as it navigates ties with a more assertive China.

Albanese also pledged increased cooperation on defense, and maritime security and safety, amid rising tension between China and the United States in the Indo-Pacific, he told reporters.

Indonesia was among several Southeast Asian countries that expressed concern over a new trilateral security pact between Australia, the United States and Britain (AUKUS), that will allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Australia's new Malaysian-born foreign minister, who previously said Indonesia did not get the attention it deserved under the former administration, met Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi on Sunday.

President Jokowi, as the Indonesian leader is known, emphasised the importance of the neighbours strengthening their bilateral commitments.

Jokowi reiterated the importance of the strategic economic partnership and IA-CEPA, which will allow more Indonesians to work in Australia, the recent opening of a Monash University campus in greater Jakarta, and the importance of food security and sustainability.

Albanese is also scheduled to meet Lim Jock Hoi, the Jakarta-based secretary general of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), before heading to Makassar in eastern Indonesia.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×