Scott Morrison briefs Donald Trump on defence strategy as leaders discuss pandemic management
The PM and Donald Trump spoke on a range of topics, including Australia’s defence capabilities and reopening economies.
Scott Morrison and US President Donald Trump spoke on Friday about Australia’s decision to bolster its defence capabilities, harden its force posture and update its strategic outlook in the region.
The Prime Minister also compared notes with Mr Trump on how to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to reopen their economies safely.
Confirmed coronavirus cases in the US have topped 3.5 million with more than 77,000 daily cases recorded on Thursday in America along with the loss of nearly 1000 lives.
Mr Morrison said on the Gold Coast on Friday that Mr Trump appreciated Australia’s COVID-19 record.
“The world is dealing with this and outbreaks are not uncommon, we are dealing with these challenges better than many and better than most,” Mr Morrison said.“(Mr Trump) was very complimentary of the response.”
Mr Morrison and Mr Trump also discussed co-ordinating their approaches to multilateral organisations as well as their commitment to open markets and low-tax regimes.
“Our recent jobs numbers were encouraging, just as they were in the US. And we both want to see our economies go forward. We want to see people back in jobs, and we share a lot of common views on those things,” Mr Morrison said.
The Indo-Pacific region was a key focus of the discussion after Mr Morrison’s recent announcement of a $270bn 10-year defence plan including lethal naval and air warfare capabilities as well as the first land-based long-range missile defence systems.
“The United States is a key partner in that stability working with many other like-minded countries in the region,” Mr Morrison said.
“You want to have a partner that carries their own weight, and Australia certainly does that. We are no passenger in any relationship we have, and that is greatly appreciated by our American friends.”
The government’s update to the 2016 Defence White Paper was aimed at ensuring the region was guided by international rules and norms, free from coercion and hegemony.
It was grounded in the assumption that Australia would need to be ready to fight a conventional war at short notice with growing threats eliminating past assumptions of a 10-year “strategic warning time” before a major attack.
Both Mr Morrison and Mr Trump also talked about working more closely with Southeast Asian partners and other key players including Japan and India – including through the quadrilateral security dialogue.
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