National

Regional peace tops agenda for ASEAN foreign ministers

By Lucinda Garbutt-Young

Jul 20, 2026

Foreign Minister Penny Wong (file image) — Penny Wong says it's vital for Australia to work closely with ASEAN to help shape the region. -AAP Image

Australia's foreign minister has travelled to the Philippines to work with Asian countries on improving peace and prosperity in the region.

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Penny Wong flew out on Monday to attend the summit of foreign ministers, being held ahead of the ASEAN leaders' summit later in 2026, saying the trip would improve Australian ties.

"At a time of rising strategic competition and global economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever for Australia to work closely with ASEAN partners to help shape a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous," Senator Wong said in a statement.

"My meetings with regional and global counterparts will be an opportunity to advance Australia's interests and continue work on shared challenges, including energy security, supply chain resilience and long-term economic prosperity."

The association includes 11 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and East Timor.

Australia is not a member, but works closely with ASEAN on economic and trade issues. Australia and the Philippines have had diplomatic ties for 80 years.

Senator Wong said she planned to work on "energy security, supply chain resilience and long-term economic prosperity" for Australia.

She will meet with Philippine counterpart Theresa Lazaro and has expressed support for Manila's ASEAN presidency this year.

Meeting as also expected to promote strengthening of regional resilience and respect for international norms, including in war.

One of the issues expected to dominate the agenda is the situation in Myanmar, following the foreign ministers' first face-to-face meeting with a representative of the military regime since the 2021 coup in Bangkok last Sunday.

At that meeting, the bloc said it wanted to move towards an end to violence and better dialogue in the area.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, along with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, will also be in attendance.

The US is using the meeting to strengthen its partnerships in Southeast Asia as the threat of Chinese dominance looms in the region.

The trip to the Philippines comes following Australia signing security partnerships with Fiji, which was aimed at curbing Chinese influence in the Pacific.