The peace and stability of our region has been enabled by consistent US global leadership. And while that leadership would not have been possible without the hard power of fleets and armies - its greatest potency has come from the values which it embodies. Through all the twists and turns of history, the United States has stood for the values on which its great republic was founded - freedom, democracy and the rule of law. That leadership, that commitment, those values are more important than ever.
Some have been concerned the withdrawal from the TPP and now from the Paris Climate Change Agreement herald a US withdrawal from global leadership. While these decisions are disappointing, we should take care not to rush to interpret an intent to engage on different terms as one not to engage at all. Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson and Defence Secretary Mattis - who is with us here in Singapore - have all made early visits to the region - the Vice President joined us in Australia only weeks ago and Secretaries Tillerson and Mattis will be with us in Australia next week. President Trump has committed to visit the region and attend the East Asia Summit later this year.
I am confident that this Administration and those that follow it will, and for the same reasons, recognise, as its predecessors have, that the United States’ own interests in the Indo-Pacific demand more US engagement, not less.
Some commentators argue that Australia has to choose between Beijing and Washington. It is an utterly false choice - we have a good friend and partner in Beijing and a steadfast friend and ally in Washington. Neither constrains us in our dealings with the other - our foreign policy is determined in Australia’s national interest and Australia’s alone. We know that our security and our prosperity depends on the continued stability and peace of this region, a condition which can only be achieved if all nations can pursue their own destinies free of coercion or interference.
Our Alliance with the United States reflects a deep alignment of interests and values but it has never been a straightjacket for Australian policy-making. It has never prevented us from vigorously advancing our own interests. And it certainly does not abrogate our responsibility for our own destiny.
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