Leaders pose for a joint photo at the 3rd ASEAN - Australia Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 7, 2023 (Photo: VNA)Talking to Vietnam News Agency ahead of the Summit, scheduled to take place in Melbournefrom March 4 to 6, Hal Hill, an emeritus professor atthe Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian NationalUniversity, said that Australia and the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) currently boast very good and close relations while sharingmany common interests.
Their close geographical proximity also generates prosperityfor Australia as a neighbour of a dynamic, open, and stable region, which is apositive factor, he said, perceiving that the two sides can completely be moreambitious for bilateral relations and exert stronger efforts for fruitful results.
Commenting on the special summit, Hill said ASEAN and Australiashould issue strong statements about keeping the global market open for thesake of all parties. They can also make important joint statements appealingfor a ceasefire in Gaza, calling for the settlement of and an end to the conflict inUkraine, and stressing the urgency of climate change and the realisation of annualUN climate change conferences’ targets.
The two sides should set up a stronger base of knowledge abouteach other to deepen mutual understanding so as to resolve common globalchallenges, he went on, suggesting the summit establish a strong agencyproviding financial support to help their scholars, researchers, andhigh-ranking officials work together on big global challenges.
Besides, he added, as Australia is granting arelatively large number of scholarships to foreign students, including thosefrom ASEAN countries, the two sides should launch a prestigious scholarshipprogramme for students, with priority given to research ones.
The expert also recommended developing initiatives so thatthey can work with each other more closely and identify major issues they wantto jointly address such as climate change, energy transition, and open marketmaintenance.
The Special Summit is considered achance for the two sides to further enhance bilateral cooperation along withtheir commitments to the current ties and regional growth and success, but thechallenge is how to ensure their statements are transformed into concrete andtangible actions, Hill added.
For his part, Greg Earl, a columnist on economic diplomacy forThe Interpreter of the Lowy Institute, former member of the Australia - ASEAN Council andformer Southeast Asia correspondent of The Australian FinancialReview, noted the ASEAN - Australia relations have become moreimportant over the last 50 years. Australia holds that its security andprosperity benefit from the peaceful relations and economic integration withthe nearest Asian neighbours.
There are many areas in which the two sides can cooperate inthe future, especially the management of the competition between superpowers inAsia, he said.
As small, or in some cases medium-sized economies, Australiaand ASEAN countries can cooperate further in terms of economic integration byissuing common standards for products and skills so that their goods andservices can flow in the region more seamlessly. Australia boasts many servicesnecessary for the development of some ASEAN countries, who in turn produce anumber of products and have a workforce essential to Australia.
The two sides will benefit from further economic integration tomobilise their economic strength for improving general economic growth,according to Earl./.
VNA
