Australia should deepen economic, security ties with Southeast Asia

Australia should deepen its economic, security and people-to-people ties with Southeast Asia, in order to strengthen its own competitiveness and resilience in an increasingly fragmented world, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Nov 8).



Speaking during the 2026 ABC Boyer Lecture Series, Lee said: “Australia is not a Southeast Asian country, but it should be a very close partner of ASEAN, especially in an age where small and medium-sized powers need to work together more than ever.”



Lee noted that the global environment has changed significantly, with great power rivalry intensifying and multilateralism breaking down.