Anthony Albanese arrives in Cambodia for regional summits, says Russian and Chinese actions are key issues

Peculiarities
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Cambodia for the ASEAN-Australia meeting and the East Asia Summit.
  • He is going to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen and celebrate the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.
  • Over the course of nine days, Mr. Albanese will attend four regional summits, including the G20 summit and the APEC meeting.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s trade and security flexing will be key concerns for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as he embarks on a nine-day trip abroad.
Peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific will also be in the spotlight as he gets to work in a series of meetings with his fellow world leaders.
The Prime Minister landed in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Friday evening to attend the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN-Australia meeting.
At the summit, Mr. Albanese is expected to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The prime minister told reporters in Sydney that the backdrop of the summits was the aftermath of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
“Not only because of human rights and because of the tragedies that happen every day … but it has a global impact on the economy,” he said.
“Inflation is rising here in Australia, as it is around the world, as a direct result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the pressure on global energy prices.
“Russia needs to get the signal that it is isolated among those who support the international rule of law, and it needs to go.”
Mr. Albanese is also expected to meet hosting Prime Minister Hun Sen and celebrate 70 years of bilateral diplomatic relations.
In the evening, Mr. Albanese will take part in a gala hosted by his Cambodian counterpart.
He is also expected to meet in person with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin and Lao Prime Minister Phanham Viphavan for the first time.
Mr. Albanese said food security, climate change and “strategic competition in the region” are important topics for discussion.
Work continues behind the scenes to arrange a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has not had an official meeting with the Australian leader since Malcolm Turnbull in 2016.
“What I said about China is that we want to cooperate where we can, but we will uphold Australian values ​​where we must,” Mr Albanese said.
“There is no meeting scheduled at this stage, but we will obviously be attending the same conferences…and I would love to meet.”
Mr Albanese said China’s $20 billion trade sanctions have affected not only Australian exporters but also the Chinese people.
“It’s not in Australia’s interest in terms of our jobs and economy, but it’s also not in China’s interest,” he said.
“I very much hope that we will continue to insist that these sanctions are unfounded and that they need to be lifted.”
On Monday, Mr. Albanese will travel to Bali for the G20 summit and then attend the APEC summit in Bangkok.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be present, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend virtually.

President Joe Biden will meet with the head of China on Monday in Bali.