Visit to Thailand for East Asia Summit
2 November 2019
Prime Minister of Australia
I will travel to Bangkok, Thailand from 3 to 4 November for the 14th East Asia Summit and 3rd Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit alongside some of Australia’s key international partners, who are vital to a secure and stable region, and the investment and trade that support jobs and our economy.
I look forward to hosting a Business Breakfast with both Australian and Thai business leaders to advance Australian jobs and opportunities abroad, and engage with those Thai businesses that are investing in Australia and those looking to increase their investment.
I will also attend a dedication service for the Hellfire Pass Memorial to honour the service of the brave Australians who were imprisoned there during the Second World War.
The East Asia Summit is the premier leaders’ forum for discussing the strategic challenges facing our region, providing a valuable platform to work with our ASEAN partners and the broader Indo-Pacific to ensure our region remains peaceful and prosperous. The RCEP Summit will consider progress toward a free trade agreement between 16 member nations that account for one-third of the global economy and 71 per cent of Australia’s exports.
At the EAS Summit, I will highlight Australia’s support and commitment to a vision for an Indo-Pacific region that has ASEAN at its centre, is open and inclusive, sovereign and independent and where the rights of all states are respected. I also warmly welcome ASEAN’s adoption of its Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
This year marks 45 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974. Since then we have continued to build on our strong partnerships across the Indo-Pacific and look forward to further advancing our shared interests at the East Asia Summit.
ASEAN and its forums, such as the East Asia Summit, play a central role in supporting the rules and norms that have underpinned prosperity, security and stability in our region for more than 50 years.
