Biden Meets With Australia's Albanese

Facts

• US Pres. Joe Biden welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the White House on Wednesday, with nearly 4K spectators present for the official arrival ceremony.¹
• The state visit — the fourth since Biden became president — involved a pavilion dinner on the South Lawn of the White House, as well as a press conference in the Rose Garden.²
• According to the two leaders, Washington and Canberra are seeking to build underwater infrastructure between Australia, French Polynesia, and Fiji to improve the region's internet connectivity, with the goal of expanding it to other nations later down the line.³
• Other plans reportedly include agreements to cooperate in a range of areas, including space, artificial intelligence, and climate change.⁴
• The US, Australia, and the UK announced a trilateral accord titled AUKUS in September 2021, an agreement that is generally said to address China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. The two nations are also reportedly set to discuss details of the deal, which would see Australia provided with nuclear-powered submarines for the first time.⁵
• The visit also comes as Albanese recently cemented plans to meet with China's Xi Jinping in November and as China's top diplomat is scheduled to arrive in Washington later this week.⁴

Sources: ¹CBS, ²Independent, ³The Wall Street Journal, ⁴Associated Press and ⁵VOA.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. The attempt by Biden to strengthen his ties in the Pacific has certainly been undermined by conflict in the Middle East as well as troubles within domestic Congressional politics. However, with the need to contain the reach of China's influence always a priority, the hosting of a state dinner for Australia and Albanese highlights the extremely delicate and complicated list of foreign policy matters that the Biden administration continues to navigate through.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Foreign Policy. At the top of Biden's agenda with Albanese must be the revitalization of AUKUS. So far, despite positive rhetoric, the goals outlined in the deal have stalled, as the US drags its feet over export control provisions that currently prohibit nuclear submarines from being sold to Australia — a key agreement between the two countries two years ago. The purpose of AUKUS is to deter China's growing hegemony, a mission that is in danger of failing unless Albanese and Biden get their act together.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. While the AUKUS allies pretend that their military buildup is about peace and stability, in reality, this deal sets off a destabilizing and unnecessary arms race that will further provoke China. This unjustifiable move reflects a cold war and colonial mindset in which the Anglophone powers believe they have a natural right to dominate the region. By investing hundreds of billions, Australia is not only making itself an agent of US hegemonic interests but also risks gambling away its own political and economic future.