ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thank you for joining us. It's been a pleasure to host Prime Minister Lee for today's ninth Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders Meeting. And can I give you a very warm welcome publicly to Melbourne, Mr Prime Minister, and thank you for keeping the bonds between our nations so strong. Australia and Singapore's friendship is one anchored in warm personal ties, and a great amount of trust and respect for one another. We share a vision for an open, stable and prosperous region. And this meeting has solidified a relationship that is unique in its depth and breadth, and a relationship that we're now turning to the future. With the tenth anniversary of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the horizon, today we build on an impressive track record of shared endeavour across trade, investments, defence and security, education and the arts, science and innovation, the digital economy and of course the landmark green economy agreement that we have reached. Today Prime Minister Lee and I have directed officials to develop specific initiatives against each of these themes to underpin the next phase of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to 2035. We have discussed essentially having our CSP 2.0 going forward after 10 years of the first agreement. I'm pleased that a key outcome of our annual meeting last year was agreement to establish a green shipping corridor between Australia and Singapore by 2025, and I'm pleased that this work is moving towards the signing of the new green and digital shipping corridor MoU. This agreement will help smooth the way to decarbonise our port and shipping industries and to bring their operations into the digital age. Prime Minister Lee and I have also today agreed to a set of principles for cross border electricity trade. These principles bring closer the goal of a renewable energy trade between our countries, bringing opportunities for workers and investors alike. Australia and Singapore achieve more when we work together, which is why I'm pleased to announce today the first group of Australian and Singaporean companies to receive grants under our Go Green Co-Innovation Program. These projects will drive development of cutting edge fuels and technologies to support the green transition. Resilient supply chains were also high on our agenda today. Australia is proud to be a trusted and reliable supply chain partner to Singapore, especially for energy and food. Prime Minister Lee and I are pleased with the ongoing progress under our bilateral food pact that we announced in 2022. Also on our agenda was the importance of a strong multilateral trade system. Together with Japan, Singapore and Australia are proud to lead efforts among WTO members to agree new trade rules for e-commerce. We're also working closely to promote greater investment and trade liberalisation through the WTO, APEC, IPEF and the G20. The context for today's meeting is, of course, a special summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations. This milestone is a chance for Australia to celebrate with our South East Asian neighbours and friends. To remind ourselves of everything we have to gain from collaborating and all that we have in common. Australia and Singapore are both, at heart, aspirational. We’re nations that act, build, innovate and we contribute. And it's with that aspirational spirit that we continue to work together to pursue the type of region that we both seek. One that is free, open and resilient, where ASEAN and ASEAN led institutions hold the centre, and where differences and disputes are settled through agreed rules and norms. I want to thank Prime Minister Lee for his commitment to these aims and in view of his announcement that he plans to step down later this year, I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Lee for his two decades of service to Singapore as Prime Minister. For the past 20 years, Australia and others in our region have benefited from Prime Minister Lee's acute understanding of our strategic circumstances. His willingness to share his insights and perspectives, and his commitment to building a region that is open and stable. On a personal note, I thank him very much for his friendship over longer than the time I've been Prime Minister. It is a warm relationship. Some years ago I was benefit of a week in Singapore as a fellow of the Lee Kuan Yew Fellowship. This was a real opportunity for myself to immerse myself in an island state that is so advanced in communications, in the digital economy, in urban policy, in transport, across the spectrum. And since then I have had many interactions with Prime Minister Lee. He is an extraordinary leader for our region and I wish him very well for his future. Thank you.
HE LEE HSIEN LOONG, PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Albanese, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Firstly I thank the Prime Minister for his remarks and particularly for his very warm words to me personally. They are greatly appreciated. This is a very important friendship which we value greatly and which I hope will continue even after I move on to other roles after being Prime Minister. I'd also like to thank the Prime Minister for hosting our annual leaders meeting today and for his warm hospitality to our delegation. It's very good to be back in Australia again and especially in this beautiful city of Melbourne. The Prime Minister and I affirm the good progress we have made in our comprehensive strategic partnership, the CSP. Over the last nine years we've jointly completed more than 110 initiatives across the six pillars of cooperation in the CSP, and we greatly appreciate first of all, Australia's strong and long standing support for the Singapore Armed Forces military training in Australia, which has gone on now for much more than 30 years. Our economic ties are robust. Singapore's Australia's seventh largest trading partner and fifth largest foreign investor. We are updating the CSP with fresh and ground-breaking areas of cooperation, for example on the digital and green economies. We are happy that the Singapore-Australia Green Economy Agreement, signed only 18 months ago, has made significant progress. We signed an MoU on a green and digital shipping corridor, including building a zero or near zero greenhouse gas emission fuel supply chain on the shipping routes between Singapore and Australia, which will boost efforts by both countries to reach net zero. We have also developed a set of joint principles for cross border electricity trading, which will enhance our decarbonisation pathways and energy security. Next year, 2025, will be the 10th anniversary of the CSP and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia. There is still much more that our two countries can and should do together. After all, we are natural partners with complementary economies and compatible worldviews and strategic perspectives on the region and on international affairs. The Prime Minister and I therefore agreed that we should identify new strategic and forward looking areas of cooperation for the next edition of the CSP. For example, renewable energy, supply chain resilience, artificial intelligence and air connectivity. Areas which will fit in well with Singapore's and Australia's priorities. We've tasked our Ministers and officials to develop an ambitious work plan for this next phase of the CSP by the time the leaders conduct the annual leaders meeting next year. The Prime Minister and I also discussed regional and geopolitical developments. We agreed on the importance of an open and inclusive rules based multilateral order which supports ASEAN centrality. I welcomed efforts by Prime Minister Albanese and his government to deepen engagement of Southeast Asia, including through its Southeast Asia Economic Strategy in 2040. Singapore has long supported Australia strengthening its links with Southeast Asia and we will always continue to do so. Our bilateral relations continue to flourish amidst the global uncertainty and the economic headwinds. I'm confident that together we'll take these relations to better heights, to greater heights, and I look forward to a successful ASEAN-Australia Special Summit tomorrow. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Thanks very much, Prime Minister. We've got three by three questions now. First question is from Andrew Tillett.
JOURNALIST: Thank you Prime Minister, and Prime Minister Lee, welcome back to Australia. In the past, Prime Minister Lee, you've spoken about your support for China joining the CPTPP Free Trade Agreement. As we speak though today China is continuing to impose trade restrictions on a number of Australian products including lobster, wine and beef. Do you believe China should not be able to join the CPTPP until these trade sanctions are lifted? And Prime Minister Albanese, is Chinese membership of CPTPP a non-starter until those restrictions are eased?
PRIME MINISTER LEE: Well, I was asked this question about China joining the CPTPP the last time I was doing a Leaders Meeting that was in Canberra and my answer then holds, which is that the CPTPP is an open trade organisation. It is meant to allow accession of new members and we therefore welcome China to apply and to join provided it meets the standards and the requirements of the CPTPP and also provided it is able to work out arrangements with all the CPTPP members because decisions are made by consensus. It's not for me to comment on trade restrictions and issues between Australia and China. I am aware that there are issues with lobster and beef and I think one more, wine. I know that there were more than these issues before and some of the restrictions have been, have lapsed or have been lifted. And I read your Trade Minister saying that it looks reasonable that the remaining restrictions will be worked out within this year. I hope it is so and I hope that Australia and the other members will be able to work things out with China. But these are bilateral issues which they have to resolve so that a consensus decision on membership can be made in due course.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Thanks, Prime Minister. As Prime Minister Lee has said, the CPTPP accession matters are decided by consensus by the membership. And any economy which is seeking to join the agreement must demonstrate it can meet, implement and adhere to the rules and standards of the agreement. And so that is the context in which any application would be considered. Next question is from Singapore.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Lee, I'd like to get your thoughts on how do you view Australia's role in the regional security architecture?
PRIME MINISTER LEE: I think Australia has a very important role in the region. It has done so for a very long time, since the Second World War, post war, during the Malayan emergency, Australian troops fought in Malaya. After that, after enduring Malaysia Australian troops were involved in Konfrontasi. After Singapore became independent, Singapore and Malaysia formed the FPDA, Australia is a member of the FPDA and still has air force detachments regularly sent to FPDA, and the FPDA commander remains an Australian Air Vice Marshal. And Australia and Singapore have a long defence cooperation bilaterally. Visits, training facilities, also operations together in Afghanistan. We've also deployed together in East Timor around the time of its independence. And Australia continues to have a vested interest in the stability and security of South East Asia and Asia Pacific more broadly because it affects Australia and Australia is able to make a contribution to it and we hope that this will continue for a long time to come. The defence cooperation between Singapore and Australia is important, it's a significant part of the CSP. We deeply appreciate our training area at Shoalwater Bay and we are grateful that we are working with Australia to develop a new training area at Greenvale, also in Queensland. It will take a little longer than we had hoped, but we are working through the issues. We also have other significant detachments here, air force detachments in particular, including in Pearce and in Oakey. And on the other side we welcome Australian ships and aircraft to visit Singapore, which they do. And I've said before, and I repeated to the Prime Minister on this visit, that when the Australian new submarines are ready, we welcome them to visit Changi naval base in due course.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Thanks, Prime Minister. Next question is from Anthony Galloway.
JOURNALIST: Thank you to both Prime Ministers for the opportunity. I think we've seen in recent days some countries within ASEAN are willing to go a lot more public in expressing their concerns about China's actions in the South China Sea. I was wondering, for example, we've seen the Philippines President say that they're very willing to push back against China, but the Malaysian Prime Minister say they've got no problem with China and some western countries are succumbing to China-phobia. I was wondering, how are both of you managing those differences as you put together the outcomes documents for this Summit on the South China Sea? And can you also provide an update for how negotiations are going with China on the code of conduct of the South China Sea?
PRIME MINISTER LEE: Well, ASEAN countries have a common position on the South China Sea, but we also have different national perspectives and going beyond the ASEAN common position, different national positions. The national positions are different because our situations are different. Some ASEAN countries don't even have a literal on the South China Sea. They do not face the South China Sea, for example, Myanmar. They are on the Indian Ocean, the Andaman Sea. Some ASEAN countries like Singapore, do not have claims in the South China Sea, but we have an interest in freedom of navigation and the application of international law, including UNCLOS, on South China Sea issues, because it's a vital artery for international trade for us. Other countries, there are four ASEAN members who have claims, who are claimant states in the South China Sea. And these claims overlap with each other and overlap with claims by China. And so the positions we take on those claims are different depending on where we stand, and Singapore takes no position on the claims, but we have a strong view on international law and on freedom of navigation, which we have stated many times. You can look it up and it has not changed. On the code of conduct, that's the common position of the ASEAN members, that we should negotiate a code of conduct on the South China Sea with China. The negotiations have been underway, they are taking some time. They have reached a point, I think, of a first complete read through of the code of conduct. But to negotiate and to settle the code, I believe will take some time. The issues are not easy to resolve, and really negotiating a code of conduct inevitably raises issues of what the ultimate outcomes are going to be. And therefore, because the ultimate answers are difficult, so too, negotiating the code will take quite some time.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Thanks, Prime Minister. Australia is a strong supporter of the UN Convention of the law of the sea, and we have strongly put our view that freedom of navigation through the South China Sea is important. A large percentage of Australian trade goes through that sea, whether it be on its way to China or to Japan or the Republic of Korea in particular. So, it's an important waterway and we support freedom of navigation, we also support the application of international law. Our position on China remains very consistent, which is that we want to cooperate where we can, we'll disagree where we must, but we will always engage in our national interest. I think the recent progress has been made in the relationship. That is a good thing. It is always good when dialogue occurs, and that is our position that we'll continue to assert. ASEAN will continue to discuss the shared interests that we have in this region of maintaining a stable, secure and prosperous region. We are holding this summit in the context of the fact that we live in close proximity to the fastest growing region in the world in human history. That presents an enormous opportunity, but it's an opportunity that relies upon international laws being respected, relies upon trade being encouraged in a fair and transparent way as well. And that in part is the context of this summit where we're engaging constructively and where I think there is an overwhelming view here that all of our ASEAN friends want to work with the region to deliver that security, peace and prosperity that we all rely on and we all will benefit from. Next question is from our friend from Singapore.
JOURNALIST: Good morning, Prime Ministers. My question to Prime Minister Albanese. Australia has worked very closely with the Philippines on the South China Sea. There's also recent funding for ASEAN cooperation on the maritime issues. How do you think China will view these initiatives? And how does Australia balance the need to cooperate with ASEAN on maritime issues and its bilateral ties with China, which has seen improvements? Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Thank you for the question. Our engagement with ASEAN nations, including on maritime cooperation, is very important. Singapore is of course one of the world's great trading nations. And in maritime and in aviation, they are really world leaders in what they have done over a long period of time. And the success story of Singapore is largely, has been founded on transport and on the role that it plays due to its geographical location, but also the stability of the system in Singapore. The strong legal system that's there, the strong engagement as well, which is there. We seek to upgrade even further our maritime relationship with Singapore through, essentially through the green economy agreements that we have, which we want to extend to the maritime sector. There's a lot of focus when it comes to reducing global emissions on energy, but a very large proportion of the world's, not as significant as energy, but certainly the next step down is in transportation and the use of cleaner fuels. The use of a cleaner, greener maritime sector is not just, of course, about emissions, it's also about averting the consequences when incidents occur in our seas and oceans as well, in terms of the damaging impact it can have on the life of what occurs under our seas. So, that is important. We have spoken today about an upgrade of our maritime relationship as well when it comes to defence. We, in the Philippines, have an upgrade and increased maritime cooperation there as well. That's a good thing in terms of interoperability as well. And having our maritime defence forces have those personal relations, the technological relations so as to improve interoperability so that we can have joint activities as Australia and Singapore have had. And as in the past, Australia and the Philippines and other regional powers have had as well. So, we see it as being positive. Our engagement in the maritime sector in our region is about promoting peace, security and stability in the region. It's something that we say to all of our neighbours, whether they be China or whether they be our ASEAN neighbours as well. That is our motivation in the region. It's a motivation which will benefit world trade, and trade is a good thing because trade produces economic prosperity and that is our objective. Next question is from Matthew Knott.
JOURNALIST: Thank you both very much. A separate question to each of you, if I could. Prime Minister Lee, a slight change of pace. I want to ask you about Taylor Swift, who is in Singapore right now. I'm sure that's very exciting. Our Prime Minister went and saw her when she was here in Australia. Can you confirm reports that Singapore paid for an exclusive arrangement for her not to play in another South East Asian nation? And how do you respond to comments from some other South East Asian political leaders that it undermines the spirit of cooperation of ASEAN to have such an exclusive deal? Are you encountering any bad blood here from other South East Asian nations?
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: I saw what you did there, Matthew.
PRIME MINISTER LEE: You want to ask the other questions first?
JOURNALIST: And then a different question for Prime Minister Albanese.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: I’m ready for it.
JOURNALIST: Australian lawyers have today referred you to the International Criminal Court personally, saying that you're an accessory to genocide in Gaza. How do you respond to that? Is that an offensive suggestion and is Australia in any way complicit in war crimes in Gaza?
PRIME MINISTER LEE: I think I go first. I have the easier question.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Mine isn't that hard.
PRIME MINISTER LEE: Well, Taylor Swift is performing in Singapore. We negotiated, our agencies negotiated an arrangement with her to come to Singapore and perform and to make Singapore her only stop in Southeast Asia. And there was a certain incentives provided to her from our Tourism Development Fund. Really, it's a post Covid fund to revive tourism after Covid and a deal was reached. And so it has turned out to be a very successful arrangement. I don't see that as being unfriendly. Sometimes one country makes a deal, sometimes another country does. I don't explicitly say you will come here, only on condition that you will go other places. She came to Sydney, I think she had a very successful concert in Sydney. I don't know what the arrangements were, but I'm sure that mutually acceptable, sensible arrangements were made. And if that's what's needed to be done to get an outcome which is mutually beneficial and which, from Singapore's point of view, serves not just to grow the economy, but also to bring in visitors and goodwill from all over the region, I don't see why not. I mean, if we had not made such an arrangement, would she have come to someplace else in South East Asia or more places in Asia? Maybe, maybe not. I mean, these are things that she will decide.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Yeah. I don't wish to comment, particularly on something that clearly has no credibility going forward. I refer to my joint statements of myself, the Prime Minister of Canada and the Prime Minister of New Zealand. That's Australia's position. I don't think that peaceful resolution is advanced by misinformation. And there has been substantial amounts of misinformation about what is occurring. We stand by our position. Australia joined a majority in the UN to call for an immediate ceasefire and to advocate for the release of hostages, the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the upholding of international law and the protection of civilians. And if you go back to the resolution that was carried with the support of both major parties in October, they made it very clear that every innocent life matters, whether it's Israeli or Palestinian.
JOURNALIST: Prime Ministers, for both of you. In a year with multiple elections, all eyes are looking towards the US in November. So, I was wondering, how prepared are both Singapore and Australia for a US President that might not share the same views in terms of trade and its benefits and what kind of pre-emptive steps are being taken, if any?
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: I might jump in there, Prime Minister, and say that US elections are a matter for the American people and we await and respect our democracies. This is a year in which there are more world citizens participating in democracies than at any time in human history. That's a good thing. And I stand here with another leader of a great democracy in Singapore. It is a good thing that people participate in democratic processes, but it's also very important, I think, that those processes are allowed to take their course and be respected.
PRIME MINISTER LEE: Well, we do not decide the US elections, we do not vote in them. Of course the outcome will affect the world. So, we watch and follow closely. But it's a US process, and we respect whatever comes out from it, and we will work with the outcomes and with whoever is the US President of the United States.
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Thanks very much, everyone.
PRIME MINISTER LEE: Thank you.