Political links

Introduction

Australia's political links in the region are influenced both by its geographical location and its government's priorities in foreign and trade policies. These relations are shaped by the main international challenges seen to be facing Australia in the near future. Some leading trends in the international environment to which Australia's foreign policies are geared include globalisation, with the increase in cross-border linkages, and the rise of South-East Asian economies. Australia's highest foreign affairs and trade priority area remains the Asia-Pacific region with an emphasis on political relations and defence. In particular, its main links are with the three major powers and largest economies in the region: the United States, Japan and China, and with Australia's largest neighbour, Indonesia. These links include not just regional foreign affairs, trade, and defence, but also aid and investment agreements as well as international treaties. Reciprocal visits by politicians strengthen these links.

Background: political links, Asia-Pacific

Australia's relations with the Asia-Pacific region have undergone a massive transformation in the decades following World War II and are today its highest foreign affairs priority area. Before this time and for most of Australia's 'white history' the Asia-Pacific region was a place to be feared and guarded against. Below is an overview of this history in relation to Australia's current regional political links.

White Australia

Contact with Asia during the 19th century was minimal outside of trade with Asian colonies controlled by Europeans. The Australian colonies saw themselves as civilised British outposts in competition with these other European powers. Foreign political, economic and military control of Asian societies meant that Australia rarely dealt with the reality of Asian life, and stereotypes emerged of Asian societies being made up of opium smoking, corrupt, poverty stricken people needing the benefit of Western civilisation. This fed a sense of superiority to, but also fear in Australians of,; their regional neighbours. The results of this ranged from violence against Chinese miners during the gold rushes, to a general fear that Asian nations were ready to invade and occupy Australia. The White Australia Policy adopted by the new Australian government in 1901 was also a response to feelings of racial superiority and fear.

This fearful relationship was only strengthened in the early twentieth century with the continued insistence on a White Australia. After the First World War, European control of Asia had been reaffirmed with German colonies in the region being taken away and given to Australia and New Zealand. This was followed by the military success of Japan during the early years of World War II and its direct attacks on Australia, which prompted Australian governments to turn increasingly to the United States for assistance, and to no longer ignore the region's impact on Australia once the war was over.

An increased interest by Australia in its region followed the defeat and opening up of Japan into a stable and developed country with which to trade and engage in friendly relations. The gaining of independence by most Asian countries from European rule meant that Australia also needed to engage with the rest of Asia. However, the rise of China as a communist power in 1949, and related conflicts such as the Vietnam War, overshadowed these changes and Australia's relationship with its region remained fearful up until recent decades.

End of White Australia

The biggest changes in Australia's relations with its region are the most recent. They date back to the late 1960s and early 1970s with the end of White Australia and, since its withdrawal from Vietnam and the opening of links with China, the beginning of a more rapid involvement in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia's involvement in the affairs of its region continued to increase in the late 1970s and early 1980s with its acceptance of refugees fleeing communist takeovers in Vietnam and Cambodia. Modernising economic reforms that have since taken place in Vietnam have encouraged even more strengthened ties, and in the 1990s Australia became one of the key participants in the United Nations Peace Plan for Cambodia.

Relations in the region were threatened again, however, with Indonesia's invasion and annexation of East Timor in 1975, and Australia's acceptance of the Indonesian takeover in the late 1970s. Australian-Indonesian relations further cooled in 1986 when an Australian journalist criticised the Suharto family's business dealings, and Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, made clear his government's resentment towards Australia when a fictional Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television drama appeared to him to be a thinly-veiled critique of his country. Closer ties with Asia were sought by Prime Minister Keating (1991-1996) but relations were often strained. Mahathir, for example, once again took offence when Keating called him 'recalcitrant'. Australia has risked similar responses in its critical stance toward military regimes like Burma.

Since 1996 the Howard government has been less keen on involvement in the Asian region. Involvement has increased, however, in its peacekeeping efforts in the New Guinea island of Bougainville and in the newly-independent East Timor. Australia's relationship with Indonesia deteriorated sharply over East Timor and its deployment of a UN peacekeeping force there in 1999. The security treaty signed by the two countries in 1995 was cancelled by Indonesia, and Australia suspended planned joint military exercises. More recently, relations have improved, reflecting shared concerns over terrorism and people-smuggling, generous assistance from Australia to the region in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami, and a cordial relationship between the current Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Minister John Howard. Australia and Indonesia have since signed a joint declaration for increased bilateral cooperation and are negotiating an umbrella security pact. However, a combination of Australian outspokenness and Asian reserve still occasionally gives rise to discord, most recently when Howard suggested that Australia could take pre-emptive action to deal with perceived terrorist threats in neighbouring countries.

Current political links, Asia-Pacific

Australia's current foreign policies toward its region are influenced by the trends of increased globalisation and the rise of South-East Asian economies. Its highest foreign affairs priority area is the Asia-Pacific region with an emphasis on links to the United States, Japan, China and Indonesia. Other initiatives to strengthen ties with the region are expressed in the participation in treaties and agreements such as ASEAN and ANZUS, as well as involvement with Papua New Guinea and other South Pacific island nations. These will be looked at below in further detail. Despite the changes that have occurred in Australia's international orientation, it still actively participates in Commonwealth affairs.

ASEAN Regional Forum

Political links are further stressed by Australia's signing of treaties and agreements with its South East Asian partners. These include participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (1967), which was to replace older efforts to establish regional organisations. It consists of Burma, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Australia works with ASEAN as a dialogue partner in liberalising regional trade, and expanding its security links in tackling issues such as defence, illegal immigrants, refugees, trans-national crime and piracy, environmental protection and counter-terrorism. ASEAN members aim at cooperation in these areas not as a military pact but in reliance on diplomatic means to settle disputes with each other.

ANZUS Pact

Strong political links with the United States are reflected in Australia's membership of ANZUS (1952) which is now a bilateral pact aiming for the practical cooperation of intelligence, defence technologies, and logistics support and arrangements. Historically, Australian and American defence forces fought alongside each other during both of the World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, both of the Gulf Wars, and in Somalia. Australian and US defence forces continue to engage in joint training exercises on a regular basis and support is given for US deployments in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions through access to Australian ports and airfields, as well as maintenance and other support facilities. These facilities aim at contributing to regional peace and stability.

South Pacific Islands involvement

Australia's political involvement with Papua New Guinea and other South Pacific island nations is another important link. Despite the sharp differences between Australia and these countries, their close proximity and some joint peacekeeping efforts makes the link significantly strong, as is the link with New Zealand given its closeness and common history. Shared historical experiences do exist with countries previously administered by Australia. Papua New Guinea, which gained independence in 1975 with serious unresolved issues, such as whether to adopt a Western or Melanesian political system, and its ability to manage tribal and linguistic differences, is an example. This created complex problems for Australia to work out with its former colony. Australia has also been involved in a Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, with an Australian military contingent as well as Australian Federal Police and military personnel from other countries such as Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga providing joint security.

Regional counter-terrorism

In recent years Australia's strategic environment has changed in the wake of the increased threat of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in countries seen to be hostile to regional allies. Australia has signed agreements on the issues of international terrorism with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei, aiming to continue negotiations with other governments with diplomatic, legislative, police and intelligence cooperation. It has also offered assistance in direct military involvement and border controls.