Anthony Albanese will look to bolster ties with regional allies in Southeast Asia as he prepares to meet with leaders at the ASEAN and East Asia summits.
The prime minister will on Tuesday fly out to Indonesia ahead of attending both summits in Jakarta.
The visit to Indonesia will be the first part of his nearly week-long trip to Asia, that also includes visits to the Philippines and then India for the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
The trip to Indonesia also includes the prime minister launching Australia’s Southeast Asia economic strategy to 2040 – the plan for boosting economic ties and with regional allies and two-way trade.
Mr Albanese said in coming years Australian resources and critical minerals were likely to play a key role in economic ties with Asian nations.
“When I’m in Jakarta for ASEAN and the East Asia Summit, and then New Delhi for the G20, I can guarantee you that so many of the leaders at those gatherings will want to discuss the future of your industry,” he told a Minerals Council dinner on Monday.
“Australian minerals have been sought after by every nation looking to industrialise now Australian minerals are vital to every nation seeking to decarbonise, and they are doubly important for economies like Indonesia and India that are looking to do both.”
While in Indonesia for both summits, Mr Albanese will hold talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, as well as one-on-ones with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and leaders from Malaysia and East Timor.
President Joe Biden is not attending the East Asia Summit, with Vice President Kamala Harris to represent the US.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will also skip the East Asia Summit as well as the G20 Summit.
Regional security and tensions in the Indo-Pacific region are set to dominate talks at the summits in Jakarta.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Gatra Priyandita said the emphasis on ASEAN was crucial for Australia to maintain its strategic focus in the region.
“Anthony Albanese’s attendance shows Australia is committed to multilateralism in relation to ASEAN and ASEAN centrality,” he told AAP.
“There’s a longstanding argument that ASEAN loses out to regional players (as a forum), and at least the prime minister is trying to address that gap.”
