Countries in the region, especially ASEAN and Indonesia, need to manage superpower rivalry wisely.
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By
REDAKSI
·2 minutes read
AP PHOTO/KEVIN WOLF
The United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin (right), welcomed his counterpart, the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Australia, Richard Marles, at the Pentagon in Washington on Tuesday (31/10/2023).
Like putting together a puzzle, the big picture of Australia's regional security policy now appears clear. The new focus of Canberra's security strategy is China.
Physically, in recent years, Australia has developed its military posture to the point of being able to carry out long-range attacks. This step was marked by the purchase of 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles which accompanied a trilateral agreement between Australia, Britain and the United States (AUKUS). The result of the agreement was the provision of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, platforms capable of firing Tomahawks.
Apart from submarines, Australia is also developing Hobart-class destroyers and Hunter-class future frigates. Supported by the Aegis air defense system, these multifunctional combat ships are capable of independently eliminating various types of air attacks. In the air domain, Australia is strengthened by dozens of F-35 stealth aircraft that will later work alongside the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone, produced by Boeing.
AFP/JIM WATSON
The issue of air pollution is not new. The community has long been threatened by air pollution, as evidenced by numerous research showing the dangers of its impact. Despite this, significant efforts to control air pollution have yet to be made. Consequently, residents continue to suffer as they endure the effects of air pollution.
President of the United States, Joe Biden (center) was speaking at a press conference during the AUKUS summit at the US Navy base in Point Loma, San Diego, California on Monday (March 13, 2023). The press conference was held together with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak (right), and the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese (left).
In the latest National Defense Strategy, Australia assesses that optimistic assumptions about the regional situation can no longer be maintained. China's increasingly large, coercive, and assertive posture has made Canberra unable to remain idle and only defensive.
The main focus of Australia's National Defense Strategy is now projecting their military power further into the Asia Pacific. With a defense budget of up to 2.4 percent of GDP over the next 10 years, Australia will build a deterrent force to protect its interests, not just limited to its territorial borders alone (Kompas.id, Wednesday, April 17, 2024).
Apart from the military aspect, Australia is now again actively present in the South Pacific and strengthening economic, social and cultural relations with ASEAN. One of the results of the Australia-ASEAN Special Summit last March in Melbourne, Canberra invested hundreds of billions of rupiah to improve the Southeast Asia Maritime Partnership. Australia also disbursed IDR 2.3 trillion for resilience issues in the Mekong River subregion. The Melbourne Declaration also supports the implementation of the Code of Conduct Declaration in the South China Sea.
AFP/WILLIAM WEST
From left to right, Prime Minister of Laos, Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, posed for a photo together at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday (6/3/2024).
Australia's move - increasing deterrence capacity and influence - can certainly be understood in the context of US-China rivalry in the region. Australia does need to balance China's presence. Nevertheless, countries in the region, especially ASEAN and Indonesia, need to manage this rivalry wisely. Various tools such as the nuclear-free zone agreement and the principle of Indo-Pacific inclusiveness deserve to be emphasized to all parties.
As a country that positions itself as a bridge builder, Indonesia needs to emphasize the importance of keeping the region neutral, safe and stable. Why is that? Because the arena where the battle for influence and interests occurs is the space where Asian peoples live together.
Editor:
ANDREAS MARYOTO, BONIFASIUS JOSIE SUSILO HARDIANTO
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