From March 4 to 6, Australia will welcome ASEAN and Timor-Leste leaders to Melbourne to attend the Special Summit to celebrate 50 years of ASEAN-Australia relations. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will lead the Vietnamese delegation to the summit.
Substantive development
The conference is held in the context of the dynamic cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia in many fields. This is an opportunity for the two sides to review the past 50 years of relations and discuss measures to promote the development of relations in a practical and effective manner, in line with the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2021. Within the framework of the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend key meetings and have a number of other important foreign affairs activities.
2024 marks 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first partner. Last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the report “Investing: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040”. The strategy sets out a practical roadmap to increase two-way trade and investment, with the aim of increasing opportunities for businesses in Australia and Southeast Asia. At this special summit, the Australian Government will continue to promote the recommendations set out in the report.
Prior to the plenary session with the participation of ASEAN and Australian leaders, there will be a series of meetings and events with four thematic tracks bringing together community and business leaders, experts and scholars from Australia and ASEAN to discuss issues such as: enhancing economic engagement; supporting the acceleration of the clean energy transition; enhancing practical cooperation at sea; supporting the current emerging leadership group in the region.
Building strong relationships
In addition to the special summit, Prime Minister Albanese will host official government guest programs with a number of Southeast Asian leaders. Prime Minister Albanese will also host the annual Australia-Singapore Leaders’ Meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong; and will also have bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries and with the ASEAN Secretary-General.
Prime Minister Albanese expressed his desire to welcome his counterparts to Australia to discuss the common challenges facing the region, opportunities to enhance mutual prosperity and how ASEAN-Australia can build strong relationships.
“Australia is proud to be ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner, sharing 50 years of mutual respect and cooperation with our friends in Southeast Asia. Building Australia’s relationship with Southeast Asia is a top priority for the Australian Government. The Special Summit celebrates our shared history and focuses on the future – on how to deepen the relationship,” the Australian Prime Minister said.
Australia was one of the first partners to establish dialogue relations with ASEAN in 1974. The two sides upgraded their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in 2014 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2021. Australia joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in 2005 and is actively implementing the agreement with other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Two-way trade exceeded US$100 billion in 2022 and in the same year, direct investment from Australia to ASEAN reached about US$2 billion, almost reaching pre-Covid-19 levels.
THANH HANG synthesis
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![[Photo] Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs Government Conference with localities on economic growth](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/2/21/f34583484f2643a2a2b72168a0d64baa)
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