Trump's Asia ambiguity puts Australia’s regional strategy to the test
Trump 2.0's approach to Asia still isn't entirely clear. It may pose uncomfortable questions for our leaders.
If Australia is unclear about how some of its regional neighbours view Donald Trump’s second term, Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen dispelled any doubts.
“America’s primacy has become the overriding consideration,” he told the Munich Security Conference last month. “[It has] changed from liberator, to great disruptor, to a landlord seeking rent.”
Trump’s upending of the international order, his undermining of traditional alliances and his questioning of long-standing defence pacts will force Canberra to confront uncomfortable questions in the region.
The Albanese government has spent years deepening its engagement in Southeast Asia and rebalancing its relationship with China while simultaneously strengthening its defensive reliance on the US through AUKUS.
