Aukus and Quad do not seek to displace Asean: Australian DPM

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said Asean was the first model for cooperative security. - LIANHE ZAOBAO

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Smaller groupings such as Aukus and the Quad do not seek to replace Asean’s centrality for cooperative security in this region, but to complement it, said Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.

Dismissing criticism that such groupings aim to diminish the 10-member Asean regional bloc, Marles said on Sunday (June 4) that Australia has been “as transparent as possible” in communicating its enhanced defence posture and intentions with its nuclear-powered submarine programme under Aukus, and urged China to be more transparent about its own military build-up.