The Prime Minister has talked down the need for a stronger security pact to contain China. On the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Laos, Anthony Albanese met with Japan's new prime minister who's made global headlines with his call for an 'Asian NATO. The Summit has been dominated by security issues, but Mr Albanese says the contentious idea of a new military pact is not on the table.
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00:00New friends, same worries.
00:06Your Excellency, going forward, I hope we can work in close coordination.
00:11Shigeru Ishiba has been the Prime Minister of Japan for a matter of weeks.
00:15He's already pitched the idea of a new Asian NATO, aimed at containing China's rise in the region.
00:21Anthony Albanese's not quite buying the idea.
00:25That hasn't been raised during these two days.
00:30What we have is our own security arrangements that are in place,
00:35not a matter of containment, it's a matter of making sure that the international rule of law applies.
00:43Tensions over the South China Sea have loomed over the ASEAN and East Asia summits.
00:48Anthony Albanese found himself right in the middle,
00:52seated between China and the Philippines, which have clashed repeatedly in the contested waters.
00:57People are mature in the way that they deal with things.
01:02We're strong supporters of freedom of navigation and freedom of flight.
01:06America's top diplomat, less constrained in his language.
01:10We remain concerned about China's increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions in the South and East China Seas,
01:15which have injured people and harmed vessels from ASEAN nations.
01:18All the leaders gathered here in Laos say they want to achieve stability,
01:22but have different ideas about how to achieve that.
01:24Japan's Prime Minister hopes a larger, stronger set of military alliances might send a message to China
01:30and encourage it to back off.
01:32But that idea is deeply unpopular with many in South East Asia.
01:36And even Anthony Albanese seems to be hoping a more cautious and patient approach might pay off.