US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday toasted their shared stand on Israel, Ukraine and China, including peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, during a lavish state visit aimed at deepening their countries’ century-old alliance.
“The alliance between Australia and the United States is an anchor to peace and prosperity,” the 80-year-old president said during a day of pomp and ceremony at the White House.
In the evening Biden treated Albanese, 60, to a gala dinner in a giant marquee erected on the South Lawn, with guests from the worlds of entertainment, business and technology. The visit underscored the importance Washington places on longtime ally Australia as a cornerstone of its strategy against an increasingly assertive Beijing in the Asia-Pacific region.
Photo: EPA
“A great deal of the history of our world will be written in the Indo-Pacific in the coming years,” Biden said. “Australia and the United States must write that story together.”
At a joint press conference with Biden earlier, Albanese said the bond between the two countries was crucial in an “uncertain world.”
“The relationship between Australia and the United States has never been more important. And it has never been stronger than it is right now,” he said.
Photo: Bloomberg
During talks in the Oval Office, the leaders discussed progress on the so-called AUKUS deal between Australia, the UK and the US that would see Australia obtain nuclear-powered submarines. The trip also included announcements on technology and climate change, along with plans to boost Internet links and maritime infrastructure in Pacific island nations where China has been trying to expand its influence.
The two leaders also addressed the Israel-Hamas conflict and the war in Ukraine. Both countries are providing military aid to Kyiv and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, while the US is supplying weapons to Israel.
Biden said both nations were “standing with Israel against Hamas terrorism” and “standing with Ukraine against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s tyranny.”
Albanese said “all Australians condemn the atrocities, terror and pitiless brutality of Hamas.”
China’s rise remains a long-term concern for the two allies, even as they both seek something of a reset with Beijing. Albanese is to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing early next month, while Biden might meet Xi an APEC forum in San Francisco later the same month.
The two leaders also reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and opposition to unilateral changes in the “status quo.”
“We call for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion,” they said in a joint statement following their meeting.
They also emphasized the importance of open communication and practical measures to “reduce the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation” in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.
Expressing concern about China’s “excessive maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law,” the two leaders resolved to work with partners to uphold maritime security.
Biden said the United States was in “competition not conflict” with China, but took a tough tone on recent collisions between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
“I want to be very clear. The United States defense commitment to the Philippines is ironclad,” he told the press conference.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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