The region is welcoming overtures from Australia’s new foreign minister, who was born in Malaysia. But they are also receptive to China.
“When we talk about managing geopolitical competition in this region, I must remind many of you that South-East Asia – in fact Asia – has been for many centuries the crossroads of imperialism, big power domination, exploitation and depredation,” Prabowo said in an off-the-cuff speech.
“It’s my view that we should be focusing more on the parts of the world where we have more opportunities to serve our interests and the broader global interests – and those places are the South Pacific and South-East Asia,” said Allan Gyngell, national president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and a former head of the Office of National Assessments.
There is no doubt Senator Wong’s ethnicity has given her a head start in the region. From Gojek drivers in Jakarta to bank officers in Kuala Lumpur, everyone is keen to hear her story. Now she had to put some runs on the board, Gyngell said. We are used to being concerned about China’s investing muscle, to deploring human rights abuses in that country and to resenting Beijing’s bans on our exports. The new aspect was our fear about militarisation in the region and the threat of war, explained Natasha Kassam, director of the Lowy Institute’s public opinion and foreign policy program.
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