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Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Anthony Albanese has landed in China to strengthen 'economic partnership' as US pushes Australia to outline Taiwan conflict role
The Albanese government hopes Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's latest visit to China will help strengthen economic ties with our largest trading partner while the US is pushing for an end to strategic ambiguity over Taiwan. Prime Minister Albanese arrived in China late on Saturday evening, beginning a six-day-long trip that will include a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Mr Albanese said it was 'wonderful' to be back in China as he spruiked the benefits of improved relations with the Chinese Communist Party ruled stated. 'We know that one in four of Australia's jobs depends on our exports, and China is our major trading partner, with exports to China being worth more in value than the next four countries combined,' the Prime Minister said on arrival. 'This week, we will have important meetings about tourism, about decarbonisation of steel, about the full range of issues.' Speaking on Sky News Australia's Sunday Agenda, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said there 'couldn't be a more important time' to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, noting it was 'full of opportunity but not short of complexity either'. 'These meetings between Prime Minister Albanese and President Xi and Premier Li CEOs and businesses from both sides of the relationship are a really important 'It recognises that China is a big part of our prosperity that makes it a big and important, obvious focus of our economic diplomacy, and that's what the Prime Minister's visit is all about. The federal Treasurer said the government wanted to strengthen relations with China because it was 'in the interests of our economy, our workers, our businesses, our investors. 'I think around a third of our exports go to China, so it is a really crucial part of our prosperity and a big focus of our diplomacy,' he said. The Prime Minister's meeting with President Xi will be the fourth since the 2022 federal election. It comes in stark contrast to his failure to schedule a meeting with US President Donald Trump since he returned to office. Mr Albanese arrived in China as the UK's Financial Times revealed a key Pentagon official has been demanding Australia and Japan outline the role they would play if a conflict between the US and China broke out over Taiwan. US under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby, a sceptic of providing Australia with the nuclear submarines, who is currently leading a review into the AUKUS agreement, reportedly been pushing the issue in meetings officials from both countries in recent months. Publicly outlining the role Australia would play would signal an end to the policy of 'strategic ambiguity' both Australia and the United States have towards Taiwan. Mr Colby responded to the reports in a post on X, claiming he was implementing the President's agenda of 'restoring deterrence and achieving peace through strength', adding that it included 'urging allies to step up their defense spending and other efforts related to our collective defense'. 'This has been a hallmark of President Trump's strategy - in Asia as in Europe where it has already been tremendously successful,' he said. 'Of course, some among our allies might not welcome frank conversations. But many, now led by NATO after the historic Hague Summit, are seeing the urgent need to step up and are doing so.' 'President Trump has shown the approach and the formula - and we will not be deterred from advancing his agenda.'
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Unfair': Nations fire back after Donald Trump announces new tariffs
US President Donald Trump has targeted Mexico and the European Union with steep 30 per cent tariffs, dramatically raising the stakes in already tense negotiations with two of the largest US trading partners. Both sets of duties would take effect August 1, Mr Trump said in formal letters posted to his Truth Social platform. The president cited Mexico's role in illicit drugs flowing into the United States and a trade imbalance with the EU as meriting the tariff threat. Both partners swiftly slammed the new duties, with the EU warning they could disrupt supply chains — but insisting it would continue talks seeking an agreement with the US — while Mexico branded them an 'unfair deal'. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed 'very strong disapproval' of the step and called on the bloc to 'resolutely defend European interests'. Since returning to the presidency in January, Mr Trump has unleashed sweeping stop-start tariffs on allies and competitors alike, roiling financial markets and raising fears of a global economic downturn. But his administration is coming under pressure to secure deals with trading partners after promising a flurry of agreements. So far, US officials have only unveiled two pacts, with Britain and Vietnam, alongside temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties with China. The fresh duties for Mexico announced by Mr Trump would be higher than the 25 per cent levy he imposed on Mexican goods earlier this year, although products entering the United States under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are exempted. 'Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,' Mr Trump said in his letter to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. 'Starting August 1, 2025, we will charge Mexico a Tariff of 30% on Mexican products sent into the United States.' Mexico was informed of the new duties during talks in the United States on Friday. 'We mentioned at the table that it was an unfair deal and that we did not agree,' the Mexican economy and foreign ministries said in a joint statement. Mexico is already in negotiations seeking an alternative to tariffs that would protect businesses and jobs on both sides of the border, the ministries added, saying they hope to avoid the duties. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, whom Mr Trump often refers to favourably, expressed confidence Saturday that a deal would be reached. 'We are going to reach an agreement with the US government,' Ms Sheinbaum said during a public event hours after Mr Trump's social media post announcing the elevated tariffs. She said the talks in Washington would allow Mexico to be in a 'better position' by August 1. Mexico is one of the countries most vulnerable to the US leader's tariffs, with 80 per cent of its exports destined for its northern neighbour, which is also its largest trading partner. Since returning to the White House in January, Mr Trump has reproached Mexico for not doing what he says is enough to prevent illegal migration and drug trafficking across the border, and has wielded tariffs as retaliation. The EU tariff is also markedly steeper than the 20 per cent levy Mr Trump unveiled in April, as negotiations with the bloc continue. 'Imposing 30 per cent tariffs on EU exports would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic,' European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, in reply to Mr Trump's letter to her. 'We remain ready to continue working towards an agreement by August 1. At the same time, we will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required,' she added. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office has issued a response to Mr Trump's tariffs, saying: 'We trust in the goodwill of all players in the field in order to reach a fair agreement that can strengthen the West as a whole, given that — particularly in the current scenario — it would make no sense to trigger a trade clash between the two sides of the Atlantic'. 'It is now crucial to remain focused on the negotiations, avoiding polarisations that would make reaching an agreement more complex,' Ms Meloni's office said. The Netherlands' caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the 30 per cent tariffs were 'concerning and not the way forward'. 'The European Commission can count on our full support. As the EU we must remain united and resolute in pursuing an outcome with the United States that is mutually beneficial,' he added. Meanwhile Mr Macron backed efforts to reach an agreement that 'reflects the respect that trade partners such as the European Union and the United States owe each other.' But he urged the bloc to 'step up the preparation of credible countermeasures' to implement if the two sides fail to reach an agreement in time. The EU, alongside dozens of other economies, had been set to see its US tariff level increase from a baseline of 10 per cent on Wednesday, but Mr Trump pushed back the deadline to August 1. Mexico and Canada come under a separate tariff regime. Since the start of the week, Mr Trump has sent out letters to more than 20 countries with updated tariffs for each, including a 35 per cent levy for Canada. A US official told AFP on Saturday that the USMCA exemption was expected to remain for both Mexico and Canada, although the president has yet to make final decisions. Brussels said on Friday it was ready to strike a deal with Washington to prevent the return of 20 per cent levies. The EU has prepared retaliatory duties on US goods worth around 21 billion euros after Trump also slapped separate tariffs on steel and aluminium imports earlier this year, and they are suspended until July 14. European officials have not made any move to extend the suspension but could do it quickly if needed. 'Despite all the movement toward a deal, this threat shows the EU is in the same camp of uncertainty as almost every other country in the world,' said Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council. He told AFP that the path forward now depends on how the EU responds, calling it 'one of the most precarious moments of the trade war so far.'
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Trump calls for MAGA base to end 'Epstein Files' obsession
President Donald Trump urged his political base on Saturday to stop attacking his administration over files related to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a case that has become an obsession for conspiracy theorists. Trump's Department of Justice and the FBI said in a memo made public last week there was no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a "client list" or was blackmailing powerful figures. They also dismissed the claim that Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his death by suicide at a New York prison in 2019, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe. The move was met with incredulity by some on the US far-right -- many of whom have backed Trump for years -- and strident criticism of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. "What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!" Trump said Saturday in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform. "We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein," he added, referring to his "Make America Great Again" movement. Many among the MAGA faithful have long contended that so-called "Deep State" actors were hiding information on Epstein's elite associates. "Next the DOJ will say 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,'" furious pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Alex Jones tweeted after last week's move. "This is over the top sickening." Far-right influencer Laura Loomer called for Trump to fire Bondi over the issue, labeling her "an embarrassment." But on Saturday, Trump came to the defense of his attorney general, suggesting that the so-called "Epstein Files" were a hoax perpetrated by the Democratic Party for political gain, without specifying what benefits they hoped to attain. On Saturday, Trump struck an exasperated tone in his admonishment of his supporters. "For years, it's Epstein, over and over again," he said. "Let' waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about." The US president called for Patel and Bondi to instead focus on what he terms "The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020," which Trump lost to Joe Biden. The Republican has repeatedly perpetuated unfounded conspiracy theories about his loss being due to fraud. He called for the FBI to be allowed to focus on that investigation "instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein. LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE'S GREAT!" Trump, who appears in at least one decades-old video alongside Epstein at a party, has denied allegations that he was named in the files or had any direct connection to the financier. "The conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been," said FBI Director Patel on Saturday, hours before Trump's social media post. Not everyone, however, seemed to be on the same page. US media reported that Dan Bongino -- an influential right-wing podcast host whom Trump appointed FBI deputy director -- had threatened to resign over the administration's handling of the issue.
