SYDNEY: The United States is mulling an exemption for Australia from sweeping steel tariffs, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday after speaking with President Donald Trump.
Albanese used a phone call with Trump to push for Australia to be excluded from looming 25 percent levies on steel and aluminium.
“On tariffs we discussed Australia’s position when it comes to tariffs, particularly with regard to steel and aluminium,“ Albanese told reporters after the call.
“The US President agreed that an exemption was under consideration in the interests of both of our countries.”
Trump’s tariffs are a sign he is stepping up his long-promised trade war despite warnings from Europe and China.
Australia is a minor global player in steel export markets but is a dominant source of iron ore, a key raw ingredient in the alloy.
Australia accounted for around one percent of US steel imports and two percent of aluminium, Albanese said.
Albanese also emphasised that the United States had a trade surplus with Australia, exporting twice as much as it imported.
Meanwhile, Australia has been lobbying the Trump administration to secure support for the tripartite AUKUS military alliance.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said last week Trump was “supportive” of the pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Under the deal, Australia will acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and long-range missiles, a response to Chinese military ambitions in the Pacific region.
Some fear Trump could jettison or try to rewrite the pact, returning to his “America first” style of foreign policy.
“I have no intention of speaking on behalf of President Trump, that is up to him,“ Albanese said Tuesday.
“But quite clearly, I’ve indicated there’s strong bipartisan support for AUKUS in Australia and in the United States.”
