Will Trump’s hard line on Beijing ‘blow up’ Canberra’s China policy?
Canberra insiders fear the second coming of Donald Trump could bring pressure on Australia to disown its “stabilisation” policy with Beijing.
Anthony Albanese meets with Xi Jinping in November 2023. Canberra’s policy of “stabilising” relations with China constitutes a genuine foreign policy achievement for Australia. AAP
As Foreign Minister Penny Wong sits before that vast concourse of the American people on Washington’s National Mall next week, listening to Donald Trump deliver his second inaugural address, she will doubtless ponder how his words will affect an already fragile geopolitical order.
She will be hoping that the disciplined and diligent diplomacy on which she has embarked since Labor came to office in 2022, especially in relation to China, does not end up suffering collateral damage in what is likely to be the ensuing trade and rhetorical crossfire between Washington and Beijing.
