Korea-Australia ASEAN Policy Dialogue... "Expanding the Scope of the New Southern Policy"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The 'Korea-Australia ASEAN Policy Dialogue' was held to strengthen cooperation between our New Southern Policy and Australia's Indo-Pacific (Indo-Pac) strategy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that on the 25th, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., a policy dialogue was conducted via video conference, with Park Jae-kyung, Director General of the ASEAN Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ridwan Jadwat, Director of Southeast Asia at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, serving as chief representatives.

Both sides exchanged views on the situation in the Southeast Asian region and shared policy directions for the Southeast Asia and ASEAN regions.

Regarding new challenges such as COVID-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, they also discussed specific ways the two countries can cooperate. Initially, in the vaccine and health sectors, they plan to hold a video event for sharing experiences between Korea and Australia targeting ASEAN member countries, and to identify joint projects for strengthening regional health and vaccine capabilities.

Additionally, to enhance water resource management capacity of the Mekong River, they will seek cooperative projects through the Korea-Mekong Water Management Joint Research Center, and to support private sector entry into ASEAN infrastructure projects, they will utilize our Financial Cooperation Center, the Korea Infrastructure and Urban Development Corporation (KIND), and Australian infrastructure and financial cooperation institutions.

Regarding hydrogen energy, they will review cooperation through the Global Energy Cooperation Center, which supports Korean companies' overseas expansion, and also explore cooperation measures in non-traditional security fields such as marine environment in ASEAN countries.

This meeting was the first held to explore cooperation measures between the two countries in the Southeast Asian region, with about 50 representatives from both sides attending, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the New Southern Policy Special Committee, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of National Defense, KIND, and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Department of Health, and Department of Defense.

At the meeting, both sides agreed that there is great potential for mutual cooperation between the New Southern Policy and the Indo-Pacific strategy, and decided to promote regular consultations between Korean and Australian missions in Southeast Asia and their ASEAN representative offices. They also plan to strengthen cooperation within ASEAN-related consultative bodies such as the East Asia Summit (EAS). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Going forward, based on principles such as openness, transparency, and inclusiveness, we will continue efforts to seek harmonious cooperation between the New Southern Policy and other regional initiatives, while expanding the scope of the New Southern Policy and diversifying diplomacy."