Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Wong

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to address key priorities in the U.S.-Australia bilateral relationship and a range of global and regional issues.

Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Wong discussed deepening cooperation and working through multilateral organizations such as the Quad and Partners in the Blue Pacific to help increase economic engagement and infrastructure assistance in the Indo-Pacific.  The Secretary reaffirmed that the United States would continue to work closely with Australia in facing important challenges, including addressing climate change, bolstering Indo-Pacific peace and stability, and countering state-sponsored disinformation.

The Secretary and Foreign Minister Wong also affirmed the importance of ASEAN centrality and agreed on further cooperation to help preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Both sides welcomed the progress made, along with the UK, on the AUKUS trilateral security partnership.