From Danielle Heinecke
Southeast Asia understands all too well the value of peace and the true cost of conflict.
Violence and instability disrupt livelihoods, displace communities, and undermine economic growth – threatening food and energy security, and placing long-term development and prosperity at risk.
This is why Australia and Malaysia have been close friends and partners for eight decades, working hard to ensure an open and stable region. It is our common interest that has laid the foundations for strong security cooperation, including through the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
In the face of intensifying strategic circumstances, the need for collective leadership beyond the bilateral frame has never been greater.
Asean exemplifies this – fostering trust, promoting peace and stability, and providing a platform for dialogue. That’s why Australia is supporting efforts to reinforce Asean-led mechanisms that prevent conflict before it begins.
The Asean-Australia Joint Leaders’ Statement on Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management in the Asean-Led Regional Architecture reaffirms our recognition that peace and stability in our region are a collective responsibility.
It sends a clear signal that, in the face of mounting challenges, we are united in choosing dialogue over confrontation, and cooperation over division.
Conflict is neither inevitable nor easily contained once it begins. For Australia, conflict prevention means fostering a region where sovereignty is respected, disputes are settled peacefully in accordance with international law, and all countries, large and small, can thrive.
This requires trust, transparency, and practical tools to de-escalate tensions. We all have a role to play in ensuring peace.
Asean and its architecture, including the East Asia Summit, are central to this effort. Asean’s voice is unique and consequential – shaping norms, setting expectations and influencing behaviours across the region – and underpinned by a pragmatic approach to managing tensions and promoting mutual understanding.
The recent joint declaration between Cambodia and Thailand shows how Asean can resolve tough disputes through peaceful means.
Australia commends the leadership of Cambodia and Thailand, together with the roles that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as Asean chair and US president Donald Trump have played, in this significant step in resolving the border conflict and strengthening regional peace and stability.
This milestone reflects a collective commitment to advancing Asean-led peace efforts.
Asean’s commitment to peace, stability and dialogue has long been central to its vision. You see it echoed in the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, the Asean Charter, and in the forward-looking Asean Vision 2045. This same spirit is reflected in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which will mark its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Building on this foundation, Australia is focussed on practical, collective leadership, seen in initiatives like our Conflict Prevention Workshops with Asean, co-sponsored by Malaysia and Indonesia. These efforts are not just symbolic, but a direct investment in strengthening Asean-led architecture to prevent conflict and manage crises before they escalate.
Australia stands with Southeast Asia not just in principle but through concrete support for the rules and norms that underpin regional stability. This includes our strong support for international legal frameworks, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
Frameworks like Unclos matter because they help keep the South China Sea stable and secure – critical for the nearly RM17 trillion in trade that flows through its waters each year.
Beyond our borders, we support vital peacekeeping operations, including with Vietnam, where we work alongside personnel deployed to the UN Mission in South Sudan, providing strategic airlift, training, and equipment.
And through our current term on the UN Peacebuilding Commission, we’re helping to strengthen the multilateral system and support efforts to prevent conflict both in our region and across the world.
In Malaysia, we have a strong tradition of defence cooperation built on a shared need to secure our region and safeguard our sovereignty.
Since the end of World War II, over 70,000 Australian Defence Force personnel have served or trained in Malaysia and 5,000 Malaysians have done similarly in Australia. Our officers are embedded in each other’s services in a privileged arrangement built on mutual trust.
In the civilian space, Australia is helping train Malaysians through the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (Ancors), including its Southeast Asia Maritime Institute in Shah Alam, where we have trained over 150 students in maritime law, security and ocean resource management. We look forward to growing these exchanges into the future.
The joint leaders’ statement is a call to action. Conflict is not inevitable – but preventing it demands collective leadership, cooperation, and trust. The statement reflects a commitment to translate shared principles into practical measures that reduce risk, strengthen transparency, and build resilience.
Australia is determined to play our part because we understand the dire cost of conflict and the immense value of peace. Because when diplomacy fails, it’s not just ideals that are lost – it’s lives, livelihoods and generations of progress.
Danielle Heinecke is the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.