1 week Ago By Nicola Smith
Beijing has touted Anthony Albanese as the leader other US allies should follow as they juggle security ties with Washington and trade relations with China under the “hawkish” incoming Trump administration. An editorial published on Friday in China’s strictly controlled state media praised Mr Albanese’s support of Beijing as a trading partner amid “unprecedented geopolitical complexity and uncertainty” after the election of Donald Trump. The editorial in the China Daily, one of the country’s most influential mastheads, set the tone for an expected meeting between Mr Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of APEC and G20 leader meetings in Peru and Brazil over the coming days.
China’s signalling ahead of the leaders’ conversation and its jitters about the turbulence of a future Trump presidency were clear from the editorial’s headline: “Autonomy serves Australia’s interests best.” Recalibrating bilateral relations “in light of a retrogressive US foreign policy” and in response to “anticipated policy reversals” by the new administration would be “an inevitable balancing act for every US ally and partner,” it continued. Ellen Ransley “This certainly will not be an easy one, especially when it comes to a choice between China and the US trade wise, which appears likely considering the hawkish look of the list of the US president-elect’s potential picks for his Cabinet.
“Australia, however, might offer some useful reference for those struggling to strike such a balance,” it said, pointing to Mr Albanese’s recent phone call with Mr Trump where he urged Washington to “trade fairly” with its allies and stressed it was in Canberra’s interest to engage economically with China. The positive appraisal of Mr Albanese’s approach indicates that despite a troubled economic relationship with Australia in recent years, Beijing may see Canberra as a future partner in countering Mr Trump’s threat to impose 60 percent tariffs on China when he enters office. As he set out for South America earlier this week, Mr Albanese said Australia “can play a role” in any potential trade war between the United States and China.
“Now the strategic competition that exists between the United States and China is something that we’re dealing with as well,” he said. “We think that we can play a role as a middle power. Australia is trusted, our word matters.
“We have an alliance with the United States, but China is our major trading partner.”.
