Big powers must avoid ‘diplomatic deep freezes’ for stable world order: Australia’s Albanese

All countries must engage, maintain open dialogue and diplomacy, and follow multilateral rules, Albanese says at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

‘Diplomatic deep freezes’ will only breed suspicion, Albanese says, adding that Australia is moving away from that by stabilising its ties with China

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Australian PM Anthony Albanese delivers his keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:30pm, 2 Jun 2023Updated: 12:08am, 3 Jun 2023

The stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region and the world can only be secured through the collective responsibility of all countries, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday, adding that any “diplomatic deep freezes” by big powers would invite misunderstanding and arouse suspicion.

Giving a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Albanese said peace, stability and security could not be taken for granted, and warned that no nation must think it was above multilateral rules.

To be collectively responsible, all countries must always engage, maintain open dialogue and diplomacy – that is, establishing guard rails and for all countries to follow the agreed-upon multilateral rules.

When any country thinks it is above those rules, then stability would break down, Albanese said, citing the importance of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to the region.

“Australia’s goal is not to prepare for war, but to prevent it through deterrence and reassurance and building resilience in the region, doing our part to fulfil the shared responsibility all of us have to preserve peace and security,” he said.

“And making it crystal-clear that when it comes to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force, whether Taiwan, the South China Sea, the East China Sea or elsewhere, the risk of conflict will always far outweigh any potential reward.”

Globally, Albanese said complacency that free trade and globalisation would support a stable world order appeared to be fading, and countries were now realising they had not paid “sufficient attention to the maintenance and effectiveness of multilateral institutions and global rules”.

To do better, big powers and nations must establish the most fundamental guard rail – that is, to move away from “diplomatic deep freezes”, Albanese said.