Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flown to the United States for a week of high-stakes diplomacy amid a row with France for scrapping a $90 billion submarine contract to instead invest in a nuclear-powered fleet.
Key points:
Mr Morrison will spend 24 hours in New York, on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he will talk to representatives of several countries and hold a one-on-one with US President Joe Biden.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne will also join the meeting.
The submarine deal — which involves leveraging US technology to a build a fleet of nuclear-powered vessels — is expected to be discussed alongside China's rise, the next steps on countering global terrorism and climate change.
Mr Morrison will also meet with European leaders on Tuesday to discuss rising security threats in the Indo-Pacific. He will meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Washington DC in the evening.
Mr Biden will deliver his address to the UNGA with a heavy focus on strengthening US alliances, especially now the country has withdrawn from Afghanistan.
While Mr Morrison's address will be aired on Friday, the main purpose of his trip is the meeting of Quad nations which includes the US, Japan, India and Australia, in Washington on Friday.
The White House is positioning the power bloc of democracies as critical for pandemic and climate cooperation, as well as its counter force against China.
Last week's nuclear submarine deal — signed between Australia, the UK and the US under a trilateral security pact and which derailed relations with France — will heavily feature in discussions over the next week.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian labelled the move a "stab in the back" and President Emmanuel Macron responded by withdrawing France's ambassadors to Canberra and Washington.
The foray into nuclear-powered vessels has also sent shudders through allies in Asia, concerned it will stoke tensions in the region, in particular with Beijing, which reacted angrily to the news.
Mr Morrison phoned Indonesian Prime Minister Joko Widodo mid-flight over the Pacific to explain the decision and stressed the vessels would not be armed with nuclear weapons.
The PM told Mr Widodo that Australia would maintain its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
What else is on General Assembly's docket?
The UNGA is expected to discuss ways to tackle COVID-19, the chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan, tensions with Iran and North Korea, as well as growing rivalry between the US and China.
It is also seen as the last opportunity to lock in global commitments before November's UN Global Climate Summit in Glasgow.
Mr Morrison is expected face pressure to bolster his plan to cut emissions, with his target significantly lagging behind that made by other global leaders, including the US and the UK.
Australia's medium-term target is a 26-28 per cent cut on 2005 emissions levels by 2030, well below the Biden Administration's pledge to halve emissions within that timeframe, while the UK is aiming to reduce numbers by 68 per cent.
Senior figures in the Biden Administration have publicly criticised Australia's lack of ambition on climate action in recent months.
In February, Mr Kerry acknowledged "differences" between the US and Australia in tackling climate change while calling for a faster exit from coal-fired power.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA5LTIxL3Njb3R0LW1vcnJpc29uLWluLXVzLWFmdGVyLXN1Ym1hcmluZS1kZWFsLXVuLWdlbmVyYWwtYXNzZW1ibHkvMTAwNDc4NDU00gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMDQ3ODQ1NA?oc=5
2021-09-20 22:39:24Z
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