In China's shadow
Anthony Albanese wraps up a two-day visit to the ASEAN summit in Laos today, as the bloc faces increasingly urgent questions over how to manage the rise of China.
In practical terms, this week's ASEAN summit in Laos didn’t amount to much. They rarely do.
But since invoking the Cold War just minutes before his departure for the event, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly used one word — dialogue — to stress why meetings like this matter.
His trip was a whirlwind of handshakes, backslaps and brief hellos. Its most tangible outcome, Beijing lifting its tariffs on Australian lobster, was decided before he actually sat down with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the summit's sidelines. In addition to Li, Albanese's itinerary included a trilateral meeting with the Canadian and New Zealand leaders and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Sonexay Siphadone.
“From dialogue comes understanding,” Albanese told reporters on Thursday — one of eight times he used the word in a single press conference.
