ASEAN Secretary-General to Visit Australia

The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Mr Ong Keng Yong, will visit Australia next week at the invitation of the Australian Government.

Mr Ong's visit is a key element in a series of events in 2004 designed to mark the 30th anniversary of Australia's dialogue relationship with ASEAN. Australia became ASEAN's first dialogue partner in 1974.

Two-way trade is the best ever with 2002-2003 two-way merchandise trade with ASEAN totalled $34.6 billion - an increase of 58 per cent since 1998.

Australia has been pursuing a Free Trade Agreement between ASEAN and the CER economies since 2000. ASEAN is not ready to move to this right away and in the meantime Australia is pursuing high quality FTAs with the more advanced ASEAN economies. The FTA with Singapore is now in force; and the recently-concluded FTA with Thailand is expected to come into force in early 2005.

Australia's links with the countries of ASEAN consist of a deep and ever-expanding web of relationships involving governments, private companies, schools and universities, non-government organisations, churches, communities and individuals.

Australia has bilateral security dialogues with Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, and defence cooperation relationships with eight ASEAN countries. We have signed counter-terrorism MOUs with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia, and in February 2004 co-hosted with Indonesia the Bali Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter-Terrorism, which was attended by all ASEAN countries. Australia also works closely with ASEAN countries on transnational crime issues.

Mr Ong will meet Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Trade Minister Mark Vaile in Canberra on 15 April. These meetings will take place on the eve of the anniversary of Australia's first formal talks with ASEAN, held in Canberra on 16-17 April 1974. The two Ministers will discuss a range of issues with Mr Ong during his visit, including the future strategic direction of the Australia-ASEAN relationship; the strengthening of counter-terrorism cooperation; and the AFTA-CER Closer Economic Partnership (CEP), which aims to double ASEAN-CER trade and investment by 2010.

Mr Ong is a former Singaporean diplomat, now based at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. He commenced a five-year term as Secretary-General in January 2002. He will visit Australia from 12 to 17 April.

Inquiries: Chris Kenny (Mr Downer’s office) 02 62777 500 - Matt Doman (Mr Vaile’s office) 02 62776 058