And here's Kevin Rudd's take on the signed trade deal and what that could mean for us Australia?
"But here’s the rub for the Donald’s best mate Down Under, our very own Scotty from Marketing. How on earth can the US seek to sell China another $US32 billion of American beef, wheat, cotton and seafood – all listed in the agreement – without Australian exporters becoming collateral damage?
The same for energy, where liquefied natural gas and coal are explicitly listed among $US52 billion in extra energy exports to China in 2021 and 2022. Australia is currently China’s biggest supplier of both.
And given the fact that the Australian government, almost unique among US allies, appears to have killed the political relationship with Beijing stone dead, we currently have negligible political and diplomatic capital to draw on. So the challenge for Morrison, without the usual ducking and weaving, is to guarantee that America’s phase one deal with China will not penalise Australian exporters."
And I add
The Donald is well known for throwing his mates under the bus when they're no longer in his interest....so good luck getting too cozy. And meanwhile, we are perceived as biting the hand that feeds.
