"We don't pre-emptively frame China only as a threat," she said, drawing contrast with Prime Minister Scott Morrison's administration. Like Labor governments before, she promised a "more considered, disciplined and consistent approach to the management of Australia's relationship with China." Successive Australian administrations have struggled to balance a vital trading relationship with China and the Chinese government's authoritarian reflex. Wong backed a relationship with the United States that is "fundamental" to Australian security, but acknowledged "power is shifting." Painting Australia as "independent, multicultural" and "confident of our place in the world", Wong said her first visit abroad as foreign minister would be to Indonesia and Malaysia.

Source: The Star May 01, 2019 05:26 UTC