| Australia and the Philippines have elevated the status of their relationship as a hedge against China, just a day after Anthony Albanese held breakthrough talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and agreed to visit Beijing before Christmas.
The two nations will also soon announce the start of joint naval patrols in the South China Sea to push back against the territorial claims of China, of which the Filipinos are bearing the brunt., they chose to fly east and meet in Manila for half a day in what was the first bilateral visit by an Australian prime minister in 20 years.
“Australia’s working with our partners, including, of course, the Philippines, to shape a region where sovereignty is upheld, and economic cooperation is underpinned by international rules-based trade,” he said.and other vessels in the South China Sea. With one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, the Philippines is also deemed a lucrative economic partner, as outlined in theIn this vein, Mr Albanese, in elevating the relationship, announced working holiday visas for young Filipinos.
Mr Dutton would not be drawn on comments earlier this week by former prime minister Scott Morrison, who bore the brunt of Beijing’s coercive behaviour when he was in government. The ABC reported he expressed misgivings about rushing too quickly to re-embrace China.