China looms over Albanese's ASEAN ambitions
Differing accounts over what was said between Anthony Albanese and his Thai counterpart served a reminder of the other divergent views between Australia and its Southeast Asian neighbours.
Following a meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Srettha Thavisin on Tuesday at the Australia-ASEAN Special Summit in Melbourne, the Australian readout of the encounter contained no mention of Thailand’s prime minister raising concern about Australia's new fuel efficiency standards.
But then the Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman who was in the room released his version of events, which said Strettha asked for the “gradual adoption of the new standards, which would give manufacturers and exporters time to transition away from combustion vehicles”.
Albanese on Wednesday denied that the cap on emissions output for new cars was raised in the meeting with his Thai counterpart.
The fuel efficiency standards have been a politically contentious issue domestically, with Opposition leader Peter Dutton campaigning against the “ute tax” in the recent Dunkley byelection. But this was the first time it had been raised by Thailand, which exports more than 200,000 vehicles to Australia every year.
