Albanese arrives in US for Trump meeting as Republican congressman says Aukus ‘keeps Xi up at night’ | Australian foreign policy

Anthony Albanese arrives in the United States for a long-awaited meeting with President Donald Trump; here they are expected to discuss the Aukus pact; an agreement that one respected Republican called a “significant deterrent” in the Indo-Pacific [the Chinese president, Xi Jinping] I stay up at night.”

Albanese arrived in Washington DC late Sunday night local time (Monday afternoon AEDT) ahead of his meeting with Trump at the White House on Monday morning local time (Tuesday morning AEDT). The two men will meet in the Oval Office and then have a scheduled lunch, according to the White House.

Albanese, who stepped off his jet in heavy rain in Maryland, was greeted on the tarmac by Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, and other diplomatic officials. After traveling for nearly 24 hours to the convoy carrying him to Washington, D.C., Albanese got off the plane and said it was “great to be here.”

Albanese and Trump were expected to discuss Aukus and defence, trade and tariffs, among other economic issues, as well as Australia’s potential to provide guaranteed supplies of critical minerals to the US.

A Pentagon review of Aukus, signed by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, was ongoing, a War Department spokesman told Guardian Australia last week.

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Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who until recently chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he hoped plans for a “strong and successful” Aukus would be high on Trump and Albanese’s meeting agenda, even as the Pentagon’s partnership review continues.

McCaul, who also previously served as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, spoke highly of Aukus on the eve of Albanese’s visit.

“While serving as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I worked extensively to reform and strengthen AUKUS, which I believe is a critical deterrent against the CCP’s malign activities in the Indo-Pacific,” McCaul told Guardian Australia.

“As I was told in my briefings, AUKUS is what keeps President Xi up at night.”

Labor government sources were confident the Pentagon’s ongoing review of Aukus would put the stamp of approval on the deal to allow Australia to buy three to five American-made nuclear-powered submarines in the 2030s. Later, domestically produced SSN-Aukus submarines were expected to enter service in the 2040s.

In a written statement before his departure, Albanese said he looked forward to a “positive and constructive meeting” and hoped to “consolidate and strengthen Australia-US relations”.

Despite the government’s confidence that the Trump administration would stick to the original Aukus plan, there were fears that Trump might try to secure a better deal for America or alter the timeline.

McCaul said he was encouraged by Albanese’s meeting with Trump and hoped the face-to-face meeting “will include a discussion of how to make AUKUS strong and successful in the years to come.”

Ahead of Albanese’s visit, Labor sources noted the government was pouring money into American shipyards and enthusiasm among congressional leaders that defense industry minister Pat Conroy described as “evangelical” on Friday.

Australia has already contributed $1 billion to support American manufacturing; Another $1 billion must be paid by the end of the year. While it is possible that Albanese could confirm the next installment of this payment during his visit with Trump, Australian sources have downplayed the possibility that the Pentagon review will be revealed during his trip to Washington.

Trump has provided no explicit support or guarantees for Aukus since taking office. When asked about Aukus in February, Trump responded: “What does that mean?”

Concerns about the speed and efficiency of current US shipbuilding have raised concerns about whether Australia will be able to purchase the Virginia-class submarines as planned. The US Navy estimates it needs to build Virginia-class submarines at a rate of about 2.33 per year to have enough boats to sell to Australia, but as of July it had started building them at a rate of about 1.13 per year.