ASEAN’s economic potential has the spotlight, and Australia wants in

By Melissa Coade

March 4, 2024

Rahman Yaacob
Southeast Asia defence and security expert Dr Rahman Yaacob. (Image supplied)

A foreign policy expert says Australia is one of ASEAN’s most trusted security partners, but realising the massive economic opportunities of the region has proven more challenging.

According to Southeast Asia defence and security expert Dr Rahman Yaacob, there is a lot of potential for trade between Australia and the 10-member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be expanded further.

“The Australia-ASEAN trade is actually pretty small — about $178 US billion dollars in 2022. It’s far below South Korea and Japan,” Yaacob told The Mandarin ahead of the ASEAN-Australia summit in Melbourne.

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