The current US-Australia strategic relationship requires an enemy – a “common danger”. As a result, Australia doesn’t seek cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region, it arms itself instead.
While some aspects of Australian public policy have taken inspiration from Trump - our relationship with China among them - in reality the former US president had little impact on our political life.
The word ‘values’ was seldom used in Australian diplomacy in recent decades, but has slowly become more prevalent as Canberra has sought to counter China’s influence in the region.
The ministers have written of their desire to “find every possible way to advance shared interests”. But this should stop short of following the US down its hostile path with China.
During his week in the United States, the PM tied himself to Trump to a remarkable degree. Though, the Washington days were better than later appearances, which saw Morrison open the China debate.
Anthony Albanese has attacked Scott Morrison for sending a message to Beijing while in the United State, opening a partisan rift at a time when Australia-China relations are at a low point.
Backbencher Andrew Hastie’s recent opinion piece has caused ructions within the government, but Scott Morrison needs to articulate a clear policy on China that also allows for dissenting voices.
It is impossible to know for sure what a Trump presidency would be like. But there are sensible reasons to suspect it could be disastrous – not only for the US but also for Australia.