Latest news with #Australia-UnitedStates
Sky News AU
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Terrible lapse of judgement': John Howard blasts PM for not having yet visited US President Donald Trump in Washington
Former prime minister John Howard has called out Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over not having yet visited US President Donald Trump in Washington, labelling it 'terrible lapse of judgement' on Mr Albanese's behalf. Mr Albanese begins a six-day trip to China on Saturday at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, with talks during the bilateral meeting set to cover trade, tourism, and global and regional issues. The trip, which marks the prime minister's fourth official visit to China, comes amid ongoing criticism directed towards Mr Albanese for not having met with Mr Trump since he was sworn in as the 47th US President in January. Speaking with Sky News, Mr Howard has described the current geopolitical environment as 'unstable' and insisted questions need to be asked about the state of the Australia-United States relationship. In light of Mr Albanese's China visit, Mr Howard said it is 'very important' for Australia to maintain relations with both China and the US, adding that he thought the prime minister's trip to Beijing was 'a good thing'. 'But I think that it's very bad thing, very bad thing, that he's still not had a face-to-face meeting with the new American president. Now that is a terrible lapse of judgement and a bad ordering of priorities,' Mr Howard said. 'I'm not saying that he should insult or ignore the Chinese, far from it... but heavens above. Trump has been the President of the United States since the 20th of January this year, and our prime minister hasn't had a meeting with him.' In light of the cancelled meeting between Mr Albanese and Mr Trump that had been set to go ahead at G7 Summit last month before the US President left the event early, Mr Howard outlined what he said he would do if he was in Mr Albanese's position. 'You just ring up and say, 'I want to come and see you in Washington',' Mr Howard said. '... I used to go to see President Bush, and before that President Clinton, I had good relations with both of them, and I just think it's poor form (from Mr Albanese) to say the least.' The former prime minister then questioned whether Mr Albanese was possibly 'scared of meeting' the US President. 'Is he scared of meeting him? I don't know,' Mr Howard said. Mr Howards comments come after more details were revealed this week about a meeting between Mr Trump and Australia's ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd that took place at the Trump International Golf Course in Florida on January 11. The 'brief' face-to-face encounter occurred just days before Mr Tump's Presidential Inauguration, and answers released on notice from Senate Estimates said a diplomatic cable was sent to Canberra after the meeting. The scrapped talks at the G7 summit, which had been expected to cover key issues including AUKUS and US tariffs on Australian exports, involved months of work for Mr Rudd in securing the meeting.
Sydney Morning Herald
06-07-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Australia-first words that Sussan Ley says are a threat to the US relationship
But with Albanese now unable to secure a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump, even as the AUKUS defence pact is being reviewed by the Pentagon and Australia is lobbying for exemptions to US tariffs, Sussan Ley argued it was the wrong time to inch away from the US. 'At a time of global uncertainty, growing conflict and a growing list of issues in the Australia-United States relationship, now is a time to build our influence in Washington, not diminish it,' she said in a statement. 'Many Australians will wonder whether this speech at this time was in our national interest, given so many things crucial to Australia's future are currently being considered by the US administration.' The AUKUS defence pact is a trilateral agreement with the United States and United Kingdom that will allow Australia to acquire nuclear submarine capabilities. James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, said that since John Howard it was unusual for Australian prime ministers to speak positively about a more independent foreign policy not tied solely to US interests. Loading 'It's not entirely inconsistent with where Albanese has been headed,' Laurenceson said, pointing to remarks from Trade Minister Don Farrell about growing trade with China following Trump's tariffs. Laurenceson said Albanese would be confident that the Australian public was comfortable with his coming meeting with Xi occurring before a face-to-face with Trump, pointing to polling showing Trump's unpopularity in Australia. Coalition trade spokesman Kevin Hogan said on Sky News on Sunday that 'it is embarrassing' Albanese had not yet met Trump. Sydney University international affairs historian James Curran said there was a contradiction in putting a spotlight on sovereignty at a time when Australia was tying itself more firmly into US military framework through the AUKUS submarine pact. He said Albanese's speech was significant because it came at a time when the US was pressuring allies to boost defence spending and contain a rising power in China. 'While it's not a new strategic doctrine, it is saying that there are times when Australia has to determine its own destiny,' Curran said. 'After the best part of two decades, in which the culture of the alliance has been awash in the sentimental claptrap of '100 years of mateship', it's not necessarily a bad thing for the loose cannons in the Trump administration – who are perhaps getting used to allies capitulating – to hear an Australian PM saying that, from time to time, Australia needs to express itself differently.' During the election campaign, Albanese and his ministers used Trump's haphazard approach to discredit the Peter Dutton-led Coalition, whose policy agenda and style had similarities with the US president's.
The Age
06-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
The Australia-first words that Sussan Ley says are a threat to the US relationship
But with Albanese now unable to secure a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump, even as the AUKUS defence pact is being reviewed by the Pentagon and Australia is lobbying for exemptions to US tariffs, Sussan Ley argued it was the wrong time to inch away from the US. 'At a time of global uncertainty, growing conflict and a growing list of issues in the Australia-United States relationship, now is a time to build our influence in Washington, not diminish it,' she said in a statement. 'Many Australians will wonder whether this speech at this time was in our national interest, given so many things crucial to Australia's future are currently being considered by the US administration.' The AUKUS defence pact is a trilateral agreement with the United States and United Kingdom that will allow Australia to acquire nuclear submarine capabilities. James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, said that since John Howard it was unusual for Australian prime ministers to speak positively about a more independent foreign policy not tied solely to US interests. Loading 'It's not entirely inconsistent with where Albanese has been headed,' Laurenceson said, pointing to remarks from Trade Minister Don Farrell about growing trade with China following Trump's tariffs. Laurenceson said Albanese would be confident that the Australian public was comfortable with his coming meeting with Xi occurring before a face-to-face with Trump, pointing to polling showing Trump's unpopularity in Australia. Coalition trade spokesman Kevin Hogan said on Sky News on Sunday that 'it is embarrassing' Albanese had not yet met Trump. Sydney University international affairs historian James Curran said there was a contradiction in putting a spotlight on sovereignty at a time when Australia was tying itself more firmly into US military framework through the AUKUS submarine pact. He said Albanese's speech was significant because it came at a time when the US was pressuring allies to boost defence spending and contain a rising power in China. 'While it's not a new strategic doctrine, it is saying that there are times when Australia has to determine its own destiny,' Curran said. 'After the best part of two decades, in which the culture of the alliance has been awash in the sentimental claptrap of '100 years of mateship', it's not necessarily a bad thing for the loose cannons in the Trump administration – who are perhaps getting used to allies capitulating – to hear an Australian PM saying that, from time to time, Australia needs to express itself differently.' During the election campaign, Albanese and his ministers used Trump's haphazard approach to discredit the Peter Dutton-led Coalition, whose policy agenda and style had similarities with the US president's.
