Anthony Albanese has landed in Laos to attend a key Southeast Asia summit, where he plans to highlight Australia's economic strengths and bolster ties with some of the fastest-growing economies globally.
The summit, hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an economic union of 10 rapidly expanding countries, presents a critical platform for Australia to strengthen its trade relationships.
Speaking from Vientiane on Wednesday night, the Prime Minister noted the importance of Australia's engagement with the region, stating, "This is an important relationship that Australia has with Southeast Asia. It’s our second largest trading partner. There are 500,000 jobs in Australia (that) depend upon our trade in Southeast Asia.”
Albanese will also hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the summit. In a diplomatic balancing act, his government continues to manage regional tensions while working to normalise trade relations with China.
Despite military tensions between Canberra and Beijing, Australia's trade strategy has unlocked an additional A$20 billion in exports to China.
The Prime Minister reiterated his pragmatic approach: “My message will be a consistent one, which is that we’ll co-operate where we can, we’ll disagree where we must."