China attacks Philippine assets in the South China Sea, but Australia's Wong agrees with China's Wang Yi that China can speak for South East Asia - Australia's attempts at balancing competing interests confirms South East Asian perception of Australians being a simple but honest people, who look foolish when they try to be otherwise

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

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China continues to attack  Philippine assets in the South China Sea.  Meanwhile three weeks ago  Australia and the Philippines have recently  signed a new agreement to deepen maritime cooperation. In doing so Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared:

“Our cooperation is an assertion of our national interest and a recognition of our regional responsibility,”

However, just last week after meetings in Australia between Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi , Wang  assumed to speak  on behalf of South East Asians, and Australia's  Wong appeared  to have agreed that he can and should.

All this is likely to confirm the belief among South East Asians that Australians are essentially straight forward but simple people, who will only look foolish  when they try to be otherwise (even if Penny Wong is part Malaysian.

TOE BE READ WITH 

Thursday, March 21, 2024

China's Wang Yi has spoken on behalf of South East Asians, and Australia's Penny Wong appears to have agreed that he can and should- Latest Australian foreign policy maneuver likely to cause even greater distrust of Australia's foreign policy among South East Asians who have relied on the US and Australia to keep China at bay for over 50 years

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

Despite Anwar Ibarhim declaring recently while in Australia that he does not have a problem with China it remains a fact that Malaysia continues to have problems with  China's expansion. In fact   the majority of South East Asians, being Malay Muslim,  are in conflict with China and Chinese even now.

Against that backdrop, Wang Yi's reference to regional aspirations, with Penny Wong's approval, can only cause Australia's neighbours to be even more wary  of Australia's intentions, which appear to be more China centric, and less South East Asian friendly, as it has been for over 100 years. These utterances will be viewed with apprehension, if not anger by the many in this region who have no interest in being dominated by China:

Wang Yi said that the ups and downs of China-Australia relations in the past decade have not only left both sides with lessons to learn from, but also accumulated experience worth cherishing. The most fundamental thing is to uphold mutual respect. The most crucial thing is to stay committed to seeking common ground while shelving differences. The most important thing is to pursue mutual benefit and win-win results. The most precious thing is to remain independent. Since China-Australia relations are on the right track, both sides should have no hesitation, no yawing and no backward steps. Since the course forward has been charted, both sides should strive to make steady, good and sustained progress. This serves the common interests of the two peoples and also meets the common expectation of countries in the region.

 Malaysia and Indonesia ,as well as Vietnam and Singapore, do not want a South East Asia overseen by China.The existing order led by the US, assited by Australia, the UK and others has proven to be a good one, as Lee Kuan Yew explained it  in 2013:

China will not let an international court arbitrate territorial disputes in the South China Sea, so the presence of U.S. firepower in the Asia-Pacific will be necessary if the U.N. Law of the Sea is to prevail.

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Saturday, August 19, 2023

Australia's ASEAN liaison is a Malaysian Chinese who is a "moderate voice on China" but is Michelle Chan what ASEAN wants

 by Ganesh Sahathevan