Westminster Bridge and British Parliament in London. Source : Pixabay via Pexels.
Speaking in London, Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the UK to make peace with the country’s colonial past to modernise Indo-Pacific relations.
The aim is to stabilise relations within the region against rising Chinese forces, to help avoid a possible war within the Indo-Pacific region.
Senator Wong urged the UK to partner with the Indo-Pacific region with modernised relations, as a war with China would be “Catastrophic”.
“It gives us the opportunity to find more common ground than if we stayed sheltered in narrower versions of our countries’ histories.” Senator Wong said.
She shared stories of her family and their past with British colonisation, stating that her grandmother and many others “worked as domestic servants for British colonists” in Borneo.
“Such stories can sometimes feel uncomfortable – for those whose stories they are, and for those who hear them.” Senator Wong said.
“But understanding the past enables us to better share the present and the future.” She said.
Senator Wong said if the UK was serious about strengthening Indo-Pacific region relations, they must commit to more than “security issues”, stating that security issues can often form the focus of political discussion.
“To be truly effective in the region, we need to offer countries choices.” Senator Wong said.
“After all, not being forced to choose means having real choices.
“Choices in areas that count – like investment, innovation, education, energy transition and more.
“Choices that help countries protect their own sovereignty.
“The Indo-Pacific does not only matter because of the opportunity it offers.
“It matters most consequentially to all of us because it is the region in which the reshaping of our world is centred.” She said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said he agreed with the Foreign Minister’s statements and that the past is important in thinking about the future.
“It’s really important for all countries to think about their past in terms of providing a gateway for meaningful engagement in the future, and we want to see a Great Britain which is engaged in our region and they certainly seek to be that.” Mr Marles said.
“Because if Britain is engaged in the Indo-Pacific, it will help provide stability in the Indo-Pacific, and that’s really important.
“A greater presence of Great Britain in the Indo-Pacific [is] going to be really important in terms of the stability of our region in the future.” He said.
The speech in the UK comes as Australia is preparing to decide on which AUKUS partner will provide the nation with nuclear submarines.
