“Anthony Albanese’s trip to China and meeting with Xi Jinping is illustrative of the way that the Trump administration has stooped to bullying,” writes political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.

It is not nice to be shafted by our friends. However, that is exactly what has happened with the US since Donald Trump came to power. 

No wonder more and more Australians are expressing a preference for stronger economic ties with China.

As reported by the ABC, the Pew Research Center, an independent think-tank based in Washington, pointed out that 24 of the countries they surveyed were softening towards China.

Australians do largely remain slightly negative about China and its leader, Xi Jinping. However, our population is becoming much more critical of the US, as are many other nations. According to Pew, the exception is Israel.

A straw poll of friends and colleagues found widespread reluctance to travel to the US. For some, there is little choice. However, where possible, others are looking at alternative countries.

It is time to reconsider Australia’s ANZUS Treaty. Signed in 1951, it has played a critical role in the security of the Pacific. Reflections on the war with Japan were fresh in the minds of those who signed it, but recent actions by the US changed the way we are perceived and the way we perceive our ally.

Actions speak louder than words. The recent move by the Trump administration to ensure Ukraine has access to high-performance weapons is a case in point.

The US will not sell the weapons directly to Ukraine, nor will they support Ukraine by donating them. This is in stark contrast, for example, of the Australian contribution of Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles to Ukraine.

What Donald Trump has done is found a way to sell expensive American technology to European countries so that they can, in turn, provide them to Ukraine. 

I am reminded of World War II prior to the December 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbour. At the time, the American economy thrived on the manufacture and sale of weapons into the European theatre of war. 

The financial message is not missed on President Trump or his ultra-wealthy colleagues. The sale of expensive weapons to Europe provides significant returns for the US arms industry. And the arms industry is the most lucrative industry in the world – even ahead of fossil fuels and illicit drugs. 

Trump’s push for increased defence spending for NATO and Australia fits the same category. Who are the winners and the losers? Health, social services and education, in the Trump perspective, can take a drastic cut (as has happened in the US) and weapon manufacturers can rub their hands in glee. Is this really the sort of society that we would like to hand to the next generation of Australians?

Anthony Albanese’s trip to China and meeting with Xi Jinping is illustrative of the way that the Trump administration has stooped to bullying.

As Albanese was heading to China for bi-lateral talks, Elbridge Colby, the US Under-Secretary of Defence Policy called on Australia to be clear about the position it would take in a potential war over Taiwan.

There is only one reason for this sort of intervention. It was an attempt to embarrass Australia by a bully who has been purporting to be a friend. Stick the wedge in on a sensitive issue. 

The federal Liberals have been berating the prime minister over the trip to China, arguing he should first be meeting with President Trump. No! There is repair work that is required after Scott Morrison’s disastrous, ideological spat with China. And, unlike the president of the United States, Xi Jinping has not snubbed our prime minister.

Many Australians have a long enough memory of going “all the way with LBJ” in the Vietnam War. Reflection on providing similar support in Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq raises serious doubts about our future foreign policy.

It is not only Australians who have doubts. Health professionals from the US, as just one example, are beside themselves and extremely negative about the administration. They are appalled by a range of actions, but particularly the appointment to Secretary of Health of the prominent anti-vaxxer Robert Kennedy Jr.

As Australians, we do have some choices. We can side with a bully, or we can accept the assertion by our prime minister that decisions will be taken in the best interests of our nation. Hopefully, this means working as closely and peacefully with as many other countries as possible. 

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.