Too much happening in the world, I guess. And also too confusing 🫠

Nice one

Thank you!

This follows PM Albanese's decision to skip the presidential inauguration last year, which I argued then reflected possible complacency about the relationship: www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

There’s also the question of Greater Sunrise and whether this plays into ASEAN’s assessment of Dili’s long term viability/stability. If so, this would militate in favour of deferring accession again as unclear whether any agreement between Canberra and Dili is forthcoming. 6/6

Ultimately the decision will only be made by leaders and what they do is unpredictable. Singapore’s position may have softened and some observers speculate that Lee Hsien Loong’s departure may weaken Singapore’s longstanding opposition. 5/6

But reading between the lines of the recent ASEAN Ministerial Meeting I’m not so sure what will happen this year. Ministers announced the establishment of a Timor-Leste unit in ASEC. asean.org/press-statem... 4/6