Anthony Albanese walks a diplomatic tightrope in China

While the PM seeks to steady trade and diplomacy with Beijing, fresh pressure from the US over Taiwan highlights the delicate balance Australia must strike between the two countries.

Clouds hang over Anthony Albanese as he strolls down Shanghai’s iconic Bund waterfront, but it’s not just the smog typical of the bustling Chinese city.

The Prime Minister’s arrival in the global finance hub has been quickly overshadowed by reports the Trump Administration is piling pressure on allies like Japan and Australia to clarify their likely roles in the event of a regional conflict – widely interpreted to mean a possible China-US war over Taiwan.

It’s hard to believe the timing of a sudden flurry of anonymous sources followed by comments from US defence undersecretary Elbridge Colby himself was completely coincidental given Pentagon officials would be very aware of Mr Albanese’s trip to China this week.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and fiancé Jodie Haydon walk the Bund waterfront in Shanghai with Socceroos great turned Shanghai Port FC coach Kevin Muscat and some of his team. Picture: Supplied/PMO

Regardless, it’s another test for the Albanese Government’s ongoing strategy of stabilising relations with China while deepening security ties with the US.

Beijing and Canberra are both eager to keep economics, trade, climate co-operation and tourism at the centre of Mr Albanese’s China visit.

As the PM and his fiancé Jodie Haydon chatted amiably with Socceroo great turned coach of Shanghai Port FC, Kevin Muscat, walking along the Bund on Sunday, the idea of a war seemed a world away.

On defence and security there will always be intractable differences between Australia and China, and so far Mr Albanese has made his contempt for jumping at shadows clear.

But with experts warning a regional conflict may only remain hypothetical for as long as significant deterrence is maintained, planning contingencies for a Taiwan war may end up the best defensive move.

Originally published as Anthony Albanese walks a diplomatic tightrope in China