New Initiative to Enhance Australia's Relationship with Southeast Asia: FM Penny Wong
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Canberra, Nov 28 (NationPress) Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has inaugurated the ASEAN-Australia Centre in the nation's capital.
Wong and Kao Kim Hourn, the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), officially opened the new centre during an event held at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday night, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
In her statement, Wong emphasized that the centre aims to enhance the government's efforts to deepen Australia's connections with Southeast Asia, focusing on boosting business, education, cultural, and community ties with the region.
Key initiatives outlined by Wong include an emerging leaders program designed to nurture the brightest talents from the region, creating connections among teachers and students in Australia, Southeast Asia, and Timor-Leste, as well as promoting business and creative projects led by women from both Australia and Southeast Asia.
Additionally, Wong announced a groundbreaking exhibition of Indigenous Australian art scheduled to tour Southeast Asia in 2025, made possible through a collaboration between the ASEAN-Australia Centre and the National Museum of Australia.
The centre was first proposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held in Melbourne in March. Albanese highlighted that the centre would serve as a central hub for enhancing Southeast Asia literacy within Australia.
This initiative will bolster the ASEAN-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and work towards fulfilling the recommendations set out in Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
The strategy, which was unveiled by the government in 2023, includes 75 recommendations aimed at significantly enhancing two-way trade and investment between Australia and Southeast Asia.
