Underlining the importance of the annual East Asia Summit, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has termed the event as a vital platform for discussion among the member countries on a host of key issues like security, politics and economy.

“I do believe it’s important, that with the right players around the table, any issue can be on the table. What I would say about this East Asia Summit is that the issues people wanted to raise were on the table, including the South China Sea,” Gillard told the ABC news channel.

“So I think it’s good to see the East Asia Summit realise its mandate as a body that can talk about security issues, political issues [and] economic issues,” she said.

Gillard further said that candid discussions over the territorial disputes between South China Sea were also held in the recently concluded summit in Phnom Penh.

China and ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, have all claim sovereignty over parts of the South China Sea. Gillard said the discussions at this summit show the group maintains its relevance.

“I think we are seeing the East Asia Summit mature into the body that we wanted it to be, and that leaders said they wanted it to be. A meeting of leaders, which can talk about security questions, strategic questions, even if they are difficult questions. We think this is a process that continues to be well and truly worth investing in,” she said.

Gillard further expressed Australia’s focus to continue building ties with China.

“We’ve got a deep, robust relationship with China, and one of the points I made with Premier Wen is that we’ll see continuity of Australia’s relationships even as the leadership transitions,” she said.

Gillard expressed her desire to travel to China and meet with the new leaders once the leadership transition process is complete.

“So I will be looking to travel to China in the first six months of next year,” Gillard said.

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