Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted Australia and the US need to drastically ramp-up their economic and military partnership as the two countries move forward.
Speaking at the Australian American leadership dialogue on Wednesday, Mr Morrison declared the US had “no stronger partner” than Australia in preserving the liberal world order amid China’s rising influence.
“In Australia, the US has no stronger partner today in defending the values and its institutional pillars of what was created by a remarkable generation of American leaders,” Mr Morrison said.
The Prime Minister’s comments come amid increasingly tense relations with the world’s other major power, China, which recently slapped tariffs on several key Aussie industries.
“Unlike the Cold War, geostrategic competition in the coming decades will be engaged in the economic realm,” Mr Morrison told the leadership dialogue meeting.
“Our recent experience with economic coercion underlines that.”
Mr Morrison emphasised the strength and importance of the Australian-US alliance, stating Australia was “deeply committed” to the partnership as the “foundation of our security and our prosperity.”
Moving forward, the Prime Minister insisted Australia and the US needed to strengthen and increase their economic and military partnership.
Mr Morrison urged the US to “upgrade” its trade partnership with Australia, telling Mr Biden to consider regular strategic economic dialogues between the two…
