Australia urges strong, sustained US engagement in Asia

Sydney, November 23 : Australia called on Thursday on the United States to build a strong presence in Asia and bolster ties with “like-minded” partners while warning against China’s rising influence.
A more insular United States would be detrimental to the liberal nature of the world’s “rules-based order”, the government said in a 115-page foreign policy white paper.
“Australia believes that international challenges can only be tackled effectively when the world’s wealthiest, most innovative and most powerful country is engaged in solving them,” the government said.
The white paper is a guide for Australian diplomacy and provides a roadmap for advancing its interests.
The election of President Donald Trump represented a step towards a more isolationist world, which could be negative for Australia’s export-dependent economy, commentators have said.
Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade agreement in January, shortly after he took office.