Scott and Donald need good chat about Pacific

President Donald Trump with Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the White House, Friday, in Washington. Picture: AP

The warmth of the reception Scott Morrison has received on his visit to the US augurs well for Australia.

Donald Trump went the extra mile with our Prime Minister. There was real warmth, well beyond what diplomatic niceties require. Our own “first lady” got to show off the clothes of a number of Australian designers and Jenny Morrison never fails to make a really good impression.

Dinner in the Rose Garden looked pretty flash but our first couple from the Shire handled it with consummate ease.

This was a very positive gesture from Trump and he accords it to only a few of his country’s real friends. Former treasurer Joe Hockey, who has been a standout performer as a diplomat, was in his element. Having an ambassador who can pick up the phone and have his call answered is a great advantage for Australia and Hockey is in a position to do that.

While writing this piece, I saw our Resources Minister, Matt Canavan, being interviewed about the wisdom of Australian involvement in the Strait of Hormuz. Canavan, who very rarely missteps and is one of the government’s better performers, focused on the length and strength of our relationship with the US, which is so vital for us.

Trump now boasts of his close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and speaks well of the Chinese leadership. Perhaps he is fond of reading the scriptures that preach forgiveness of your enemies or maybe he does really believe the Chinese and the North Koreans are his mates.

There is no doubt these relationships have brought down the tensions that have existed between them and the US. There are so many nukes in the world today that nuclear non-proliferation treaties have become quite meaningless. I am not sure about Israel, but given the efforts Iran is making to have the nuclear deterrent, they must think the Israelis do.

My time is not occupied by fear over the Chinese building artificial islands in the South China Sea.

I wonder, however, why the Chinese are splashing huge sums of money around the Pacific. Australia can’t match that kind of funding and the US seems unwilling to be drawn into an auction to determine to whom these small island states will align themselves.

The line between legitimate foreign aid and out-and-out bribery has been blurred in recent years and the winners will be those small island states who can see potential benefactors queuing up to throw largesse at them.

Australia cannot afford for the US to withdraw from the Pacific.

It is to be hoped that on the Rose Garden lawn, between courses, that is the message that Scott Morrison is conveying.