Confidence is high that Australia will be able to avoid tough trade sanctions under the second Trump administration, the foreign minister says, following talks with the new US secretary of state.
Penny Wong met with Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday (AEDT), the first formal talks between the pair since Donald Trump's second term as president began.
Wong said the meeting focused on Australia's economic ties with the US, downplaying concerns tariffs could be imposed after .
"Every Australian government in office at a time where a new administration has come in has had to navigate those trade policy issues. This is no different," she told reporters in Washington.
"I have focused very much on articulating why Australia's economic relationship with the United States is of benefit to the United States as well as to Australia.
"What I can say to Australians is that we will work consistently, confidently, with a very clear focus on Australia's interests to navigate any trade issues."
Wong said the AUKUS deal, as part of a deal with the United States and United Kingdom, was also brought up in the bilateral meeting, noting the new administration was keen to progress the partnership.
"It's been really clear that the Trump administration understands the strategic imperative around AUKUS, which is why the government is so committed to it," she said.
The one-on-one with the secretary of state also happened alongside a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which included Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers reiterated calls for an open and free Indo-Pacific region.
"Our four nations maintain our conviction that international law, economic opportunity, peace, stability, and security in all domains ... underpin the development and prosperity of the peoples of the Indo-Pacific," the statement said.
"We are committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic and technology security in the face of increasing threats, as well as promoting reliable and resilient supply chains."
Opposition leader Peter Dutton welcomed the meeting between Wong and Rubio, saying ties between the two countries needed to be strengthened.
"We want to work constructively with the United States because it's the underpinning of our security in this country in a very uncertain century, and it's also a very important people-to-people relationship," he told reporters in Goulburn on Wednesday.
