Australia will send its largest-ever political and business delegation to the US this week. If anything, Australia has "doubled down" on its relationship with the US since President Donald Trump began his tenure, explains Prof Simon Jackman.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will visit Washington for his fourth meeting with President Trump on Friday. He is accompanied by four of Australia's six state premiers, other local leaders and 20 CEOs of the nation's largest companies.
While the prime minister-to-president dialogue will dominate media and official "read-outs", the visit coincides with the winter meeting of the National Governors' Association (NGA), an organisation made up of the leaders of America's 50 states. It will include a reception and dialogue with Australian state premiers.
This energetic and high-level engagement is part of the Australian government's strategy for managing its relationship with the US under President Trump. Here are three key areas of focus.
1. Balancing 'America First' and China
Australian surprise after Mr Trump's election quickly gave way to anxiety. Would Mr Trump's "America First" policies - particularly in trade and national security - complicate Australia's trade and security relationships in the Asia-Pacific?
Australia's trade surpluses with China and other economies have undoubtedly helped it remain recession-free for more than a quarter of a century. Simultaneously, however, the US has maintained a liberal rules order in the Asia-Pacific that has allowed Washington to become far and away Australia's most important military ally.
The US-Australian treaty alliance has been the bedrock of Canberra's defence strategy for decades. Australia is the only country in the world to have fought alongside the US in every major conflict since World War One.
No comments:
Post a Comment