Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US President Joe Biden discussed how they can work together to deal with China and a military coup in Myanmar, the White House said yesterday.
The first call between the leaders since Biden’s inauguration came amid heightened tension between Australia and China, and just days after Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The strength of the Australia-US alliance “remains an anchor of stability in the Indo-Pacific and the world,” the White House said in an e-mailed statement.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Morrison declined to give details of the conversation with Biden about China and Myanmar.
“He said to me again today, he sees the Australia-US relationship as providing the anchor for peace and security in our region,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
The US is Australia’s key strategic ally, a relationship that Morrison made a priority as ties between Canberra and China, its largest trading partner, soured.
Morrison said that the call was “warm” and “engaging.”
Morrison said that he invited Biden to visit Australia in September.
Morrison invited Biden to visit Australia to mark the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty, a defense agreement that once included New Zealand and was signed on Sept. 1, 1950.
Morrison said that Biden reacted positively to the invitation.
“He told me he needs no special reason to come to Australia, he loves the place, but they [Biden and first lady Jill Biden] would very much like to be in Australia at some point, and we’ll see how that progresses,” he said.
US presidents who make the 15,900km flight between the two national capitals typically incorporate visits to Asian capitals.
Morrison said that the conversation also covered the alliance the two nations share with Japan and India known as the Quad, as well as the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing partnership that includes Canada, Britain and New Zealand.
Morrison said he did not expect a change in US direction on China under the Biden administration.
“I think in the United States, Australia has, and remains to have, a very, very strong and effective partner on these issues of Indo-Pacific security,” Morrison said.
Additional reporting by AP
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