Penny Wong rejects Trump-style tariffs, says Australia is ‘here for the long haul’ in Southeast Asia
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has denounced global trade barriers and reinforced Australia’s role as a key ally to Southeast Asian nations as the US increases tariffs.
While in Malaysia for an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, Senator Wong distanced Australia from the US on trade policy as the White House tests relationships in the region.
Tariffs are at the heart of contention between the US and ASEAN nations, which were slapped with further levies days ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first trip to the region for the summit.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Senator Wong used her keynote speech to rebuke trade barriers, saying while Australia and the US were close allies, they were also “two sovereign, independent countries with our own ways of doing things”.
“When it comes to Southeast Asia, Australia remains fully invested. We will be a reliable partner that you can count on,” she said.
“We are here for the long haul.”
Australia is a dialogue partner to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations grouping, a 10-country bloc that promotes economic and security co-operation.
Senator Wong reinforced Australia’s role as a critical and dependable partner to Southeast Asian allies, stepping up to plug gaps in foreign aid in the Indo-Pacific after the US slashed spending.
Australia reallocated its foreign aid budget, with 75 per cent of Australian development dollars now going to the region, after the Trump administration’s cuts.
Senator Wong used the speech to announce a further $10 million in humanitarian assistance to support disaster responses and displaced women and girls from Myanmar.
Myanmar was struck by a major earthquake in 2025 that exacerbated a humanitarian crisis caused by the rule of a military junta that took power in a 2021 coup and has been widely condemned for human rights abuses.
Australia will provide $6 million to bolster rapid disaster response and recovery, and $4 million to the United Nations Population Fund for support services for women and girls from Myanmar.
Senator Wong also called out “the worrying pace of China’s nuclear and conventional military build-up without the transparency that the region expects”.
But Australia was “realistic about China’s objectives in changing the regional balance of power” by projecting influence and military power deeper into the Indo-Pacific.
