PM set to warn China and US the Indo-Pacific not their 'chessboard'

Anthony Albanese will declare the post-1945 world order "is no longer fit for purpose" and warn China and the United States that the Indo-Pacific is not a "chessboard" for global superpowers.

In a major foreign policy speech to be delivered in New York, the prime minister will say Australia needs to help shape the new global order by building new relationships, standing up for the rules governing how countries interact with each other and rejecting the notion that might is right.

Underscoring the stark warning, Mr Albanese signed a decade-long security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, local time, and announced another $60 million in funding to help the country defend itself against Russia.

The two leaders shared a hug, and Mr Albanese was on the verge of tears when describing his admiration for the "extraordinary" leadership of his "friend" Mr Zelenskyy.

"I think Russia thought it could just steamroll through in a matter of weeks, and what we have found is the people of Ukraine were underestimated," Mr Albanese said during the meeting.

Indo-Pacific not a 'chessboard'

Mr Albanese's comments about the rules-based order echo similar warnings from like-minded leaders, including Canada's Mark Carney, who has said middle powers must unite because "if we're not at the table, we're on the menu".

Mr Albanese will identify the strategic competition between China and the US as the most consequential factor shaping the region.

"The Indo-Pacific is not a chessboard on which superpowers move the pieces," he will say.

"How Washington and Beijing manage their relationship matters profoundly. But it cannot be the only lens through which we see the region.

"Its countries are not spectators. They are shaping its future and writing their own script."

PM named 'global citizen'

Mr Albanese will deliver the speech at a ceremony tonight where he will be awarded the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award, alongside Finland's Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, Broadway star and actor Cynthia Erivo and Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicalli.

It comes a day after US President Donald Trump stood on the floor of the United Nations and threatened to "annihilate" Iran, if the country failed to agree to a deal to end the war, and warned Cuba, a "failed state", would fall.

In a wideranging speech, Mr Trump very publicly slapped down a push from a coalition of middle powers, including Australia, for global regulations to ensure humans remained in control of AI, declaring the US had no plans to rein in the powerful technology.

As Australia launches its bid for a two-year term on the UN Security Council, Mr Albanese will argue global institutions need to be modernised and strengthened.

"The post-1945 world order is no longer fit for purpose," Mr Albanese will say according to draft excerpts of his speech.

"Universal institutions that remain necessary are now not always sufficient for the challenges we face.

"Australia's response to this is to actively seek to shape and build the order that replaces the old."

Rules essential to Australia

Australia has long been caught between two competing forces — relying on China as its biggest trading partner and on the US as its most important security ally.

But with Mr Trump up-ending the global order, and a more assertive Chinese president in power, Mr Albanese will say the imperative for countries to agree and abide by rules remains.

"Australia depends on a region where ships and aircraft move freely, where trade reaches markets unimpeded, and where the sovereignty of small states is respected as fully as that of large ones," he will say.

"The rules that connect our nations remain essential — and they matter to Australia, to the Indo-Pacific and globally."

Australia's bilateral relationship with Ukraine has deepened substantially since Russia's invasion in 2022. Canberra has committed more than $1.9 billion in assistance to the country, including Bushmasters, armoured tanks and other military equipment.

The new agreement provides a "framework" for defence and security cooperation, including stepping up military training, rebuilding Ukrainian military facilities and exploring the joint manufacturing of missiles and drones.