US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met the Australian Prime Minister on Friday on the final leg of a Pacific tour aimed at bolstering Washington’s position in the region.
The United States is stepping up efforts to re-engage in the South Pacific, where China has established itself as a rising diplomatic and military power.
Mr. Blinken’s trip to Brisbane concludes a whirlwind diplomatic tour during which he visited the Tonga Islands and New Zealand, with Mr. Austin arriving from Papua New Guinea.
The two US officials spoke with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Secretary Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles ahead of formal talks on Saturday.
While military cooperation is expected to dominate the talks, Blinken used the trip to point out that issues such as climate change and supply chain security were also on the agenda.
The clean energy transition is becoming a “pillar” of the US-Australia alliance, Blinken said on Friday during a visit to Tritium, a local company that makes charging stations for electric vehicles. .
“It all comes down to having the technology to make it work commercially,” he told reporters.
The United States sees Australia as a useful ally in its effort to weaken Beijing’s strong influence over emerging clean energy sectors, such as electric vehicle manufacturing.
Australia is one of the world’s biggest producers of lithium, a key element in rechargeable batteries, but currently sends most of its ore to China for processing.
“The United States is exploring opportunities to source key technologies and components from allied nations rather than China,” said researcher Tom Corben, of the university’s Center for United States Studies. from Sydney.
“This applies to both climate and defence, given the importance given to things like next-generation batteries,” he told AFP.
Climate change is also emerging as a security threat in its own right, as increasingly severe natural disasters hit Australia and the wider Pacific.
According to the researcher, the discussions are an opportunity to refine the details of AUKUS, the new defense pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
As part of the “first pillar” of this agreement, Australia will acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, presented as one of the most important military improvements in its history.
Attention is now shifting to the “second pillar”, which concerns cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and the development of hypersonic missiles.
Another key issue likely to be raised concerns efforts to cement longstanding relations with Pacific countries, courted by China.
Two days after Mr. Blinken left the Tonga Islands, the Chinese hospital ship “Peace Ark” docked in the capital Nuku’alofa, where it is to offer free health services to thousands of patients.
The ship arrives in the island kingdom after visiting Kiribati, and will also sail to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Pentagon chief Mr Austin arrives in Australia from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea where the US signed a defense agreement earlier this year allowing troops access to strategic military installations .
“This is all part of a larger effort to make the posture of US forces in the region more resilient by dramatically increasing the number of locations the Chinese military must consider,” Corben said. .
28/07/2023 07:26:43 – Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
