An Australian defence task force has returned home from Asia following one of its "most ambitious" regional engagement missions ever.
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The task force, called the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019, consists of more than 1200 personnel, four ships, and various aircraft.
They visited seven countries in South and South East Asia, as part of the 2016 Defence White Paper to strengthen Australia's partnership with regional security forces.
The flagship HMAS Canberra will anchor off Darwin tomorrow.
This latest trip was the third, annual iteration of the Indo-Pacific endeavour, which Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld said was "one of the most ambitious" missions of its kind undertaken by the defence force.
"The Indo-Pacific is where we live and the ADF will continue to have a prominent and productive role in shaping regional security," he said.
IPE 19 visited Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.
In the 2016 White Paper, Australia cites its alliance with United States as the core of its strategic and defence planning.
At the same time, it also sought to strengthen its ties with China and to "pursue extensive bilateral interests", due to the country's growing influence on regional and global issues.
Australia's relationship with China, however, may be on rocky ground as the US-China trade war heats up.
Prime minister Scott Morrison will travel to Japan next month for the 2019 G20 summit, where he is expected to face a big challenge on foreign policy.
Australian Associated Press