Anthony Albanese has hailed Vietnam’s breakneck speed of economic development ahead of meetings with key leaders that will touch on Beijing’s assertive approach to the South China Sea.
The prime minister arrived in Vietnam on Saturday for his first visit as leader amid concern in Hanoi over Chinese ships operating in its exclusive economic zone.
Mr Albanese is expected to meet with four key leaders – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Communist Party general secretary, the president and the chairman of the national assembly.
As recently as last week, Vietnam accused a Chinese survey vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty.
The South China Sea is a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars of trade passes each year, including many vessels carrying Australian export goods.
Ahead of the leaders’ meetings on Sunday, Mr Albanese said Vietnam and Australia shared the same view that international maritime rules needed to be upheld.
“We need to respect nations’ sovereignty in the region and indeed throughout the world,” he told reporters.
Mr Albanese said Australia aimed to play a constructive role in international affairs and was trusted in its dealings.
“We’re a nation that is straightforward – and when I deal with my international counterparts, I give straight-talking,” he said.
Before heading to Hanoi, the prime minister told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in a major foreign policy speech on Friday that upholding sovereignty was not just for the major powers but for every nation.
“Sovereignty that confers on every nation the right to determine its own destiny … to have confidence in the integrity of our borders, including our maritime zones, and control of our own resources,” he said.
Mr Albanese portrayed Australia’s decision to boost its defence capabilities, including through the acquisition of nuclear submarines, as being done to prevent rather than prepare for war.
“And making it crystal clear that when it comes to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force – be it in Taiwan, the South China Sea, the East China Sea or elsewhere – the risk of conflict will always far outweigh any potential reward,” he said.
Asked on Saturday if he expected any push-back over the comments, Mr Albanese said he had long been clear on his position about maintaining the status quo in Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Beyond regional security, the talks in Vietnam are expected to cover clean energy technology, tourism, education and transnational crime-fighting.
There will also be discussions on improving Vietnamese workers’ access to jobs in Australia.
Australia is home to about 350,000 people of Vietnamese background.
The country of more than 100 million people has a growing middle class and aims to have “developed nation” status by 2045.
During a visit to RMIT’s branch in Hanoi, Mr Albanese hailed Vietnam’s “economic dynamism”, which had brought higher living standards for the country’s people.
“In my first visit to Vietnam in 1986, everyone was on a bicycle,” he said.
“When I came back 10 years later, everyone was on a motorbike.
“Ten years after that, everyone was driving around in cars – and today we have traffic congestion.”
Mr Albanese will also attend events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
Australian Associated Press