Doorstop, Tokyo, Japan

Journalist: Given what we've seen in China this week with the military parade, we've seen Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un standing together as one. What's the message you think that they're trying to project? What, how are you interpreting that message and responding to that message?

Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister: Well, I think what we've seen on the 3rd of September, firstly, is a very significant display of Chinese military capability, and we're also seeing a greater degree of cooperation between China and Russia and North Korea, and where that leads us is clearly seeing that our interest lies in ensuring that we are firstly asserting the rules-based order, or doing everything we can to assert the rules-based order, and secondly, making our contribution to the peace and stability of the region in which we live, and that is very much the Indo-Pacific. And that so, in many ways, what it is, is an expression of the complex strategic landscape which we've now been articulating since we came to government, and which was very much articulated in the Defence Strategic Review and underpins the way in which we are seeking to modernise and build our defence force.

You know a lot of what we do nowadays in terms of the activities of the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force, is to engage in activities which assert the rules-based order in places like the South China Sea and the East China Sea. And that's done because we're a country which is deeply invested in the rules-based order. You know, we have a growing proportion of our income derived from trade. Sea lines of communication are fundamentally important to us, and they are the most significant sea lines of communication that we have. So you know, what we saw on the 3rd of September is, in my mind, an expression of the of what we've actually been articulating for the last few years and what we are seeking to address in the way in which we are engaging in our diplomacy and engaging in the building of our defence force.

Journalist: And just a follow up question on that parade, obviously, a former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews was present. What do you think it does for Australia's image to have him there, in some people's views, you know, playing into part of Chinese propaganda?

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Well, look first, I would say the Prime Minister made some important remarks about the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Pacific. They were very moving. Secondly, I would emphasize that Australia made a decision to be represented at the embassy staff level. Third, and obviously, I speak for Australia and for the Australian Government. I don't speak for private individuals, but I would so hope that we all should be mindful of the message that our presence and engagement sends, as I certainly am.

Journalist: Last year's joint statement in regard to the cooperation of the AUKUS project, was there any development in this year's meeting?

Deputy Prime Minister: Well, look, we noted in the discussions that we had today that Japan participated in the maritime big play, which was an activity that occurred in the context of Talisman Sabre 25 and you know, observed that in respect of the whole of Talisman Sabre, which is our big biennial exercise, was the most significant presence of that we've had from Japan, 1,500 personnel. But in relation to Maritime Big Play, which was very much done under the banner of AUKUS pillar two, Japan was present. This is an activity which dealt with autonomous undersea capabilities. So you know that we were really pleased to have that engagement. I mean, we continue to look to areas where we can cooperate with Japan under the banner of AUKUS, or more generally, in terms of industrial collaboration, but also innovation.

Journalist: US government administration is really everything. Do you think AUKUS is as good as before?

Deputy Prime Minister: Yes is the answer to that question. Yeah, look the Trump administration is reviewing AUKUS, and we welcome that review. There's nothing different in that to what the British government did when they came to power in July of last year with the Lovegrove Review. Or indeed, what we did when we came to power back in May of 2022 when we did the Defence Strategic Review. And that very much looked at the way in which AUKUS featured, in terms of our defence posture, and all of the well those two reviews were really important in terms of enabling us to do AUKUS better. And we think that this is a really good opportunity to look at how we can move forward more effectively and efficiently together as well. But you know, AUKUS is the subject of a trilateral treaty between Australia and the United States and the United Kingdom. It is moving ahead at a pace. It is on schedule, and we are really confident about its progress.

Journalist: Maybe two quick questions. One, could you let us know now that this negotiation process is about to start? Can you walk us through the upcoming steps in that negotiation process and when exactly you expect to have a deal or sign a contract? And the second one is, you mentioned different areas where you would like to cooperate with Japan in terms of defence industry – could you mention which those areas could be?

Deputy Prime Minister: Well, in in respect of Mogami, obviously, we've made the announcement to down select to the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mogami frigate as our as the solution to our future general purpose frigate. We are now in the process of entering into negotiations with Mitsubishi to conclude, to move ahead with that build, and we anticipate the conclusion of those contract negotiations in the first quarter of next year, and it was obviously the subject of conversation today. There is a real intent on both sides to see those negotiations move forward quickly, so that we are able to keep this on track, and you know, we've actually been ahead of schedule in terms of the various steps that we've been wanting to take in relation to Mogami. And that is based on the fact that what one of the key measures in in selecting Mogami, but in going forward with this program, is speed to service. This is about having the first of these frigates received by Australia in 2029 and this is a very fast acquisition.

More broadly, this is really breaking new ground in terms of the defence industry cooperation between Australia and Japan. But Japan is a technologically-advanced economy, and we see that there are enormous opportunities across the defence industrial base here for us to cooperate more broadly on and we see that there are really a range of areas where we can move forward, and we want to put in place the architecture to allow that to occur, which is what we've talked about at this meeting. And you know, we see there are great opportunities across all the spectrum, across all the domains.

Journalist: Just another well-known face in China this week was the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He wasn't at the parade, but seemed kind of very close with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, given how frustrated India is with the United States and these tariffs, is the Quad under any kind of threat? How much does this frustration between India and United States hurt given our interests with India?

Foreign Minister: Well, I think you're inviting a lot of commentary with that question. I would make a couple of points though. India remains a very important partner for Australia. India remains a critical partner for the stability of the region. India remains a very important part of the Quad, and I'm looking forward to engaging with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar again soon. I would also make the point, and I acknowledge the importance of the India-Japan relationship. I would also make the point that Prime Minister Ishiba hosted Prime Minister Modi just recently. We welcome that, we welcome that continued engagement. Thank you.