CANBERRA, March 8 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visits to Australia succeeded not only in ensuring continuous bilateral relations for both countries but also highlighting the importance of viewing one another as partners in today’s highly interconnected and integrated world.

The 10th Malaysian Prime Minister departed from Melbourne on March 7 for Canberra as part of his back-to-back official visits to Australia, at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Anwar who is also the Malaysian Finance Minister arrived in Canberra, accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Prior to his visit to this capital city of Australia, Anwar held a four-day official visit to Melbourne where he participated in the second Malaysia-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting (ALM) hosted by Australia and the special Asean-Australia Summit.

The summit, held from March 4-6, 2024, also commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Asean-Australia Dialogue Relations.

Accomplishing two tasks with one effort

These back-to-back official visits, Anwar’s maiden to Australia since taking the helm in Putrajaya, can best be described as “accomplishing two tasks with one effort” — that implies achieving two objectives with a single action — strengthening bilateral relations and addressing shared challenges — which perfectly summarises the essence of Anwar’s successful visit.

Indeed, Anwar’s diplomatic efforts demonstrate Malaysia’s dedication to bolstering relations with its global counterparts as evidenced by his Canberra and Melbourne visits.

And through active participation in forums such as the second Malaysia-Australia ALM in Melbourne, Anwar has not only reinforced ties but also underscored Malaysia’s proactive and cooperative stance within the international arena.

Public lecture at the Australian National University

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s public lecture at the Australian National University (ANU) signifies a significant aspect of his diplomatic engagement and efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s ties with Australia on educational and intellectual fronts.

Addressing an esteemed audience at ANU provides Anwar with a platform to articulate Malaysia’s perspectives, policies and aspirations to an international audience, including academics, students and policymakers.

In his public lecture at the 2024 Gareth Evans Oration programme entitled “Navigating Geopolitical Currents: Malaysia and Australia’s pivotal role in Asia Pacific”, Anwar discussed the issues of bilateral cooperation, international vision and the values of integrity and humanity.

He emphasised the importance of prioritising peace and the growth of countries above regional interests, blocs or ideologies.

These steps are expected to strengthen the relationship between Malaysia and Australia while creating a strong foundation for future cooperation in various fields.

Courtesy call to reaffirm Malaysia’s commitment

As for Anwar’s courtesy call on General David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia, at the Government House, Canberra, it marked a significant diplomatic encounter between Malaysia and Australia.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the Prime Minister to reaffirm Malaysia’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with Australia on various fronts as well as allowing both leaders to discuss regional and global issues, such as regional stability, economic development and climate change.

Trade and investment

While the focus of Anwar’s visit to Canberra may not have extensively covered trade and investment, unlike in Melbourne, there is certainly potential for further exploration and collaboration in these areas in the near future.

There may still be untapped opportunities to diversify and expand trade relations, thus, the Prime Minister’s visit to Canberra could still serve as a catalyst for future discussions on identifying new sectors for cooperation, enhancing market access and streamlining trade processes to facilitate smoother trade flows between the two countries.

Whereas in Melbourne, besides engaging with business leaders and top executives from 18 Australian companies to encourage them to expand their businesses and investments in Malaysia, four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) had been formalised.

Two of the MoUs are new, namely Practical Arrangements between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of Australia on Cooperation in the Areas of Science and Technology and Their Applications for the Implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT); and Cyber Security and Critical Technology.

Two others are renewable MoUs namely cooperation in the field of sports and cooperation in the field of higher education.

“The four MoUs are, of course, a remarkable milestone in charting a more progressive future, and they underscore the substantive success and outcome of our meetings,” Anwar was quoted as saying in a joint press conference with Albanese on Monday (March 4) in Melbourne.

In addition, major Australian companies have shown interest to invest a total of RM24.5 billion in Malaysia, including expansion of existing investments, of which the intention was expressed to the Prime Minister during his meeting with more than 20 Australian companies in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Australia is a close and important partner for Malaysia and both sides have deep cooperation in various sectors that include education, trade and investment, defence, cybersecurity as well as science and technology.

In 2023, Malaysia and Australia’s bilateral trade stood at US$18.57 billion (RM84.64 billion), solidifying Australia as Malaysia’s 10th largest trading partner.

As of December last year, Australia had approved investments in Malaysia involving 582 projects, with realised investments involving 366 projects.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Anwar’s successful visit to Australia has not only strengthened bilateral relations but has also set the stage for a more dynamic and collaborative partnership between Malaysia and Australia.

As both countries continue to work together towards common goals, the future looks promising for the further advancement of their relationship across various fronts. — Bernama