New Delhi, March 13 -- Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued an emphatic commitment to Southeast Asia at the Australia-ASEAN Summit. This sends the strongest intent yet of Australia and the West in defending the rules-based order and to send a direct message to Beijing that the Southeast Asian region still is not China's to lose.

The governing center-left Labor party has long aimed to forge closer ties with the region, recognising Australia's geographical reality. Australia in return is viewed overwhelmingly through the lenses of its close ties with the Western pact, including with the UK and the US with AUKUS being the main point of contention.

The region remains critical for Australia's security and economic future, and A...