The one question about Australia’s plans for China that Trump wants answered – as Anthony Albanese touches down in Shanghai

Anthony Albanese’s trip to China could be derailed by the Trump administration, who have issued a demand to know how he would respond to an invasion of Taiwan.

The Prime Minister and his fiancé Jodie Haydon touched down in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Saturday for a week-long visit that includes a meeting with Chinese Communist Party leader President Xi Jinping.

Lighter topics like trade and tourism are on the agenda, however, a senior United States official on Saturday demanded answers on whether Australia would back America in a war against China.

The US has been largely ambiguous about what its own response would be to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which China has long claimed territorial rights over.

Nevertheless, a report by the Financial Times on Saturday claimed US defence undersecretary Elbridge Colby had questioned Japan and Australia over its positions.

The outlet cited five sources who all recalled the topic of the countries’ response to a conflict in the Indo-Pacific being raised during meetings.

Colby, who is involved in strategy at the Pentagon, responded to the report on X on Sunday Australian time.

‘As the department has made abundantly and consistently clear, we at Department of Defence are focused on implementing the President’s ‘America First’, common sense agenda of restoring deterrence and achieving peace through strength,’ he said.

The senior defence official claimed the America First approach was already working.

‘This has been a hallmark of President Trump’s strategy – in Asia as in Europe where it has already been tremendously successful.’

He also suggested several American allies were seeing the ‘urgent need to step up’ and ‘are doing so’. 

‘President Trump has shown the approach and the formula – and we will not be deterred from advancing his agenda,’ he said.

In response to questions about Australia’s hypothetical response to conflict in the Indo-Pacific, Albanese said ‘we have our AUKUS arrangements in place’.

‘We’ll continue to work through all of these issues,’ he said.

‘Our alliance with the United States is a very important one for Australia so we’ll continue to engage constructively in a coherent, stable, orderly way. 

‘That’s the way I conduct this government.’

As for his position on Taiwan, Albanese simply said Australia supports the ‘status quo’.

‘I think it’s important that we have a consistent position, which Australia has had for a long period of time,’ he said.

‘We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action there. We have a clear position and we have been consistent about that.’

Reports on Thursday claimed the US believed Australia should voice its direct support of the US by stating it would use American-made nuclear submarines should a conflict with China arise.

However, the production of those submarines was called into question earlier this year by Colby himself, who is leading a review into the AUKUS pact under which the submarine deal was made.

Albanese also addressed pressure to make a public statement on Sunday, noting tactical conversations between it and Australia would remain ‘private’.

‘You don’t take private comments to a media conference. By definition, that’s in private,’ he said. ‘We engage in a mature way. That’s the way that we deal with our relationships.’

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy on Sunday was more blunt in telling the US it would not dictate Australia’s military decisions.

‘The sole power to commit Australia to war, or to allow our territory to be used for conflict, is the elected government of the day,’ he told the ABC.

‘That is our position. Sovereignty will always be prioritised and that will continue to be our position.’

Albanese’s upcoming sit-down with Xi will be the second time he’s met with the Chinese leader, following his excursion to China in November 2023.

He is yet to meet with Trump after the president left Canada’s G7 summit early in June citing urgent developments in the Middle East.

Albanese has faced criticism for meeting with Xi before the leader of one of Australia’s biggest allies.

However, it’s not the first time an Australian leader has met with Xi before the US president. Tony Abbott pulled the same move by meeting with Xi in the weeks after taking office in 2013, before he met with Barack Obama.

Tensions between Australia and China have grown since the Asian superpower  began ramping up efforts to grow influence over the Indo-Pacific since the 2010s.

That included the creation of armed artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The Chinese Communist Party’s intent to shift from a diplomatic player to a strategist became clear in 2019 with Kiribati and the Solomon Islands both switching its policies regarding Taiwan to side with China.

Since then the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has extended its presence in international waters, including an excursion down Australia’s east coast by three Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ships.

Analysts believe China will start an invasion of Taiwan within the next decade.