US and Australian officials met to reaffirm a peaceful alliance within the Indo-Pacific region as part of the thirty-fourth Australia-U.S. Ministerial (AUSMIN) Consultations on Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Indo-Pacific region is comprised of twenty-three countries, including Australia, China, India, and Cambodia. The officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, discussed the need for these countries to effectively manage competition and eliminate the risk of conflict.
Each official emphasized the need for China to communicate to build transparency with the rest of the region. This follows unsafe activity by Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, where Philippine vessels and US and Australian naval vessels, were operating lawfully. They also noted the tensions between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait, where they called for peaceful resolution of such issues through dialogue.
The principals also reaffirmed a partnership with Southeast Asia, highlighting the continued support of economic, development and security within the region, and its importance to the Indo-Pacific region as a whole. They noted their support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The two countries also reaffirmed the AUKUS partnership, between Australia, the US, and the UK, which was created in 2021. This partnership has two primary goals, to deliver a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine to Australia and to enhance joint capabilities and interoperability. The partnership has helped Australia transform its military capabilities to address escalating issues that may arise globally.
AUSMIN is the principal forum for bilateral consultations between Australia and the United States. Consultations are held regularly and aim to bring officials from both countries together to strengthen their relationship, discuss various global and regional political issues, as well as reinforce bilateral foreign security and defence cooperation.
