"Our future prosperity and security is shared - Australia's FM, Penny Wong

KOTA KINABALU, June 30 (Bernama) -- Understanding that their future prosperity and security is shared together is important in enhancing connectivity between Australia and Southeast Asia, said Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

“Thus, it matters the most for Australia to speak to Southeast Asia in a way that recognises the nation is part of the region.

“These are challenging times for the world. We are seeking to navigate (the challenges) and we do our best when we do it together. That connectivity comes from the understanding that our future prosperity and security is shared,” she said when met by reporters, here, today.

Earlier, Wong took a trip down memory lane, visiting her former school, Kota Kinabalu International School, and meeting the community in Luyang, here.

She said Malaysia and Australia shared similarities in terms of having diverse and multicultural societies, and both nations having a long-standing history in terms of people-to-people ties, as well as defence and strategic cooperation.

“Relationships always require engagement and work, and so a strong people-to-people link (is needed) .... foreign ministers, members of government, media and even community can continue to build that relationship,” she said.

On Sabah, Wong said the state is rich with culture that are wonderful to experience and see from the community here, including her own family.

“It is a wonderful thing for people from different cultures to share and experience things, which is always enriching...in that process, you find things that are similar and different that you can learn from,” she said.

Wong also expressed her aspiration to build more synergy and cooperation in various fields, especially education, with Sabah.

“We hope that there will be more links. We did discuss this; obviously education is important and there are some industry links, but we have more work to do.

“Primarily, this (Sabah) visit is for people-to-people engagement and I am grateful and honoured that so many politicians and dignitaries from different parts of the political spectrum have been willing to engage with me,” she said.

Asked on  the delay of getting a visa for Malaysians wanting to travel to Australia, she said when visiting the Australian High Commission in Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, she learned that there was a backlog of applications to clear and the High Commission was working hard to clear the backlog.

She smiled and giggled when asked what was the best food she had tasted in her balik kampung trip, replying that it was jook’, a Chinese rice porridge she had for breakfast at Kuo Man Restaurant, a 45-year-old establishment that she and her family had come to eat for many years.

“That is a very Malaysian question!” she quipped.

-- BERNAMA