Prime Minister of Australia travels to New York for an impending encounter with President Trump
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Heads to the U.S. to Strengthen Ties
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is departing for the United States this week, with a key focus on meeting with former US President Donald Trump and strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
The visit, scheduled for Saturday, comes as both leaders are at odds with Washington's stance on foreign laws perceived as unfair to U.S. tech companies. Albanese is expected to attend a reception hosted by President Trump on Tuesday.
The main priority for Albanese during the meeting with Trump is to "thicken up" the relationship, according to Australian officials. This comes as the relationship between Australia and the U.S., its principal security partner, is currently "quite thin" according to the Lowy Institute think-tank.
The AUKUS defence partnership and China are likely to be the main topics of discussion between Albanese and Trump. AUKUS, designed to counter China's rapid naval build-up in the Indo-Pacific, is under review by the Pentagon. Australia announced an extra A$12 billion ($8 billion) to upgrade a shipyard in Western Australia for AUKUS submarine maintenance, under pressure from Washington to increase defence spending.
Australia's former ambassador in Washington, Arthur Sinodinos, emphasized the importance of Albanese securing in-principle support from Trump on the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal to encourage investment. Common ground between Australia and the U.S. includes the view that Western countries need to break China's dominance over the supply of critical minerals, according to Sinodinos.
More than 20 Australian critical minerals companies met with Trump Administration officials this week to explore areas for collaboration. King Charles gave AUKUS a "very strong plug" during Trump's UK visit.
However, Australia faced a setback when security treaties in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea that would have limited China's influence were left unsigned during Albanese's visits to each country this month. China's embassy in Papua New Guinea wrote in a Facebook post on Friday it opposed exclusive treaties that "restrict or prevent a sovereign country from cooperating with a third party".
On trade, Australia will urge Trump to adhere to a free trade agreement where a surplus runs in Washington's favour, officials said. They noted the 10% baseline tariff imposed on Australia was the best deal any country had struck.
At the U.N. General Assembly, Albanese will support Palestinian statehood and speak at an event on Australia's law to ban social media for children under 16.
Some media outlets report that a meeting "may" occur between the two leaders, but a bilateral meeting between Albanese and Trump has not been officially announced.
The visit to the United States next week follows Albanese's decision to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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