Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The habit of consulting Asia and linking with Asia is now well and truly upon us. The government's white paper, Australia in the Asian century, is a road map for the next 20 years. It is the most comprehensive statement of government policy on Asian engagement since the 1989 Garnaut report, Australia and the northeast Asian ascendancy.

By 2025, Asia will account for almost half the world's economic output and this is our plan to be engaged with and to benefit from that great shift in power. We will develop comprehensive country strategies with a focus on our key partners China, India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. Australia is expanding its diplomatic footprint in Asia and opening a new embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and consulates in Shenyang in China, Phuket in Thailand and eastern Indonesia.

Our new mission in Chengdu in China's Szechuan province will provide a direct link to a diverse population of over 80 million people in one of China's fastest-growing inland regions. We will appoint a dedicated Jakarta-based ambassador to ASEAN to identify business opportunities, promote our education services and work with ASEAN across our security agenda.

I was honoured to speak last week with the visiting foreign minister of Myanmar—and that is the nomenclature I use; the Australian in my feature article today edited it and rendered 'Myanmar' as 'Burma'. But I advise the House to use the word—