According to an report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on August 14th, Australian Prime Minister Abbott took the rare opportunity to have a conversation with U.S. President Trump and urged the United States to exempt Australia from the latest round of widespread tariff measures imposed by the Trump administration.
Furthermore, he also lodged complaints with Trump about the recent Pacific Missile Test in China.
In July of this year, the Trump administration announced the imposition of a 12.5% tariff on goods imported from Australia, as part of a global import tariff system. This tariff was targeted at countries that the United States claimed failed to eliminate forced labor from their supply chains. The Australian Federal Government expressed strong dissatisfaction at that time.
The new tariffs on Australian goods exported to the US have taken effect, replacing the upcoming 10% tariffs. Dozens of other countries are also affected, but the tariff rate faced by Australia is one of the higher levels.
Australia asserts that the United States’ actions “lack any credible evidence.” A senior Australian government minister believes that after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 10% tariffs invalid in February this year, the Trump administration was merely trying to find a way around the issue.
Albanesius said, “I clearly informed the President that, as friends of the United States, we hope the US side will consider this request.”
As for whether Trump will change his stance, Alabines does not seem optimistic. He stated that there are “differences in opinions” regarding tariffs, but the U.S. President has promised to “consider” his request.
The two also discussed the United States-Australia-UK Trilateral Security Partnership (AUKUS). Albany said that both parties agreed that the nuclear submarine project will continue to be “progressed at full speed”.
Albanis also told reporters that he mentioned China’s recent ballistic missile tests in the Pacific during the call. These tests caused unease among some Pacific countries and received strong criticism from several Western countries and U.S. allies.
He said that Trump stated that this missile test ‘has indeed caused great concerns throughout the Pacific region’.
On July 6th at 12:01, a strategic nuclear submarine of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army successfully launched a submerged strategic missile into the relevant open-sea areas of the Pacific Ocean, launching a training simulation warhead. The missile accurately landed in the designated area.
This missile test is a routine part of China’s annual military training. It has been notified to relevant countries in advance. It complies with international law and international practice, and does not target any specific country or objective.
Since then, Australia has repeatedly mentioned China's test launches on various occasions, and has encouraged neighboring countries to condemn China's actions.
On August 11th, at the Geneva Disarmament Negotiations, countries including the United States jointly expressed their concerns about China’s actions that undermine regional stability.
Chinese Ambassador to Disarmament Affairs, Li Chijiang, stated that China has always carried out intercontinental ballistic missile test launches in a safe, regulated, and responsible manner. China informed countries such as the United States in advance and took prudent and reasonable measures to ensure that our tests did not harm any national interests. This fully demonstrates China's good intentions and responsible attitude. China's relevant good-faith measures should never be subject to geopolitical calculations.
