The Research Of Australian Foreign Policy To Malaysia(1963-1971)

Malaya,Singapore,Sabah and Sarawak merged to form the Federation of Malaysia in1963.The founding of Malaysia changed the geopolitical layout in Southeast Asia.After World War II,Southeast Asia became the diplomatic priority of Australia,while the foreign policy of Australia towards Malaysia was the key.In the context of the cold war at that time,Australia formed its defense policy of "Frontier Defense" out of consideration of defense security and geopolitical factors.During the gestation period of the big Malaysia plan,the overall direction of Australia's foreign policy towards Malaysia was influenced by the overall diplomatic strategy of Britain and America greatly,having a neutral attitude and nominal support depending on the attitude of the foreign policy of Britain towards Malaysia,but its aim was still to safeguard the security interests of Australia.Australia also continued its conservative policy of neutrality and seeking balance in the merger and separation between Singapore and Malaysia.It stimulated Australia's defense policy of "Frontier Defense" as the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia intensified.Due to the change of regional security situation,the international political situation and national interests faced by Australia also changed correspondingly,which drove a certain degree of change in Australia's foreign policy towards Malaysia,starting to shift from nominal support to practical support for Malaysia in the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia.After the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia finishing,Australia attached greater importance to and strengthened its defense ties with Malaysia and established a defense alliance with Malaysia through the five-nation defense system in 1971 finally,so as to lay the foundation for the sound development of bilateral relations between Australia and Malaysia after the 1970 s.The foreign policy of Australia towards Malaysia in this period was based on the security interests of Australia,so the relationship with Malaysia was dominated by security defense,and it had a certain contradiction and dependence in a certain stage under the influenceof the relationship between Australia and Indonesia.However,with the retirement of Menzies and the strategic contraction of Britain,Australia began to strengthen its ties with Malaysia through various other economic and cultural means,so as to try to expand its influence in Southeast Asia and even the Asian-Pacific region and it laid a solid foundation for its continuous development of independent foreign policy after the 1970 s.