Home General News Penny Wong says return to Malaysia as Australian foreign minister shows how far ‘modern Australia’ has come

Penny Wong says return to Malaysia as Australian foreign minister shows how far ‘modern Australia’ has come

by Margaret N. Bryan

Foreign Secretary Penny Wong says she is returning to her native country. In contrast, the Australian Foreign Secretary says something about “modern Australia” as she uses it to push for closer ties with South East Asia. Senator Wong grew up in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah before migrating to Australia when she was eight with her Malaysian father and Australian mother. Speaking in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, she described how her father, a “white student”, earned a scholarship to study at Adelaide University – “the opportunity that defined his life” that allowed him to “climb out of poverty,” which he had experienced as a child.

After meeting a “daring young Australian woman,”, she said the couple married and moved back to Kota Kinabalu, where Senator Wong was born.

Penny Wong says return to Malaysia as Australian foreign minister shows how far 'modern Australia' has come

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The foreign minister said she plans to return to her hometown on Wednesday but added, “more than the past, I focus on the future.” “Australians know that our future lies in the region we share with Malaysia,” she said. “It tells you something about modern Australia that I am speaking to you here today as the Australian Foreign Secretary.” Senator Wong also described how she believed the Australia her father visited to study about 60 years ago was a “very different” country than “what we know today”.

Data from Australia’s 2021 census released this week shows that more than half of Australians are first- or second-generation migrants.

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This included 172,250 people of Malaysian descent, making up about 0.7 percent of the Australian population of over 25 million. Senator Wong said she wanted Australia’s diversity reflected in the Albanian government’s approach to foreign diplomacy. “Australia will reflect this rich character to the world so that the world can see itself in Australia,” she said.

“The time has come to tell the full story of Australia: our modern diversity and the rich heritage of First Nations peoples.”

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Diplomatic blitz of the new government

The visit to Malaysia is the latest in a diplomatic blitz in the region conducted by the foreign minister since she took office in late May. Her latest voyage occurred in Vietnam and Malaysia, following previous visits to the Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji. Senator Wong said her department plans to sharpen its focus on Southeast Asia to ensure “Australia is better equipped to work with the region.” “This way, we can be a stronger partner for the countries in the region, including Malaysia,” she said in her speech. Senator Wong also called on countries in the region to work together to ensure it remains “stable, prosperous and respectful of sovereignty”. “Where disputes are guided by international law and norms, not by power and size.” he said, “A peaceful and predictable region.”

The coverage is part of the Albanian government’s efforts to express its concern about the Chinese government’s increasing military and economic assertiveness.

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Senator Wong said she wanted countries to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN-led institutions to ensure a “strategic balance” in the region remained in place. Her comments come after Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah made his statements on Tuesday. They remained unchanged. Malaysia and Indonesia had previously expressed concerns that the agreement could increase weapons in the region. Senator Wong has said she appreciated the opportunity to explain Australia’s stance on the AUKUS deal to regional counterparts. The foreign minister has identified “preparatory work” for a free trade agreement between Malaysia and Australia as an opportunity for closer ties. “I want us to modernize our trade relationship so that we can take advantage of more opportunities in the digital economy and face challenges such as cybersecurity,” she said. Senator Wong also said Malaysia has the largest foreign presence of Australian universities globally, with universities like Monash, Swinburne, Curtin, and Wollongong, which maintain campuses there.

“Australia wants to strengthen these ties further. We want to accelerate our cooperation with Malaysia,” she said.

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