Australia Won’t Consider Hosting U.S. Missiles, PM Morrison Says
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out hosting U.S. missile bases in Australia, and said no such request was made during key diplomatic talks between the two allies over the weekend.
“That's not something the government would consider,” Morrison told reporters Monday. “It's not being asked of us, it's not being considered. It's not being put to us. So, you know, I think I can rule a line under that.”
Speaking to reporters on the way to Australia Saturday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said he was in favor of deploying U.S. missiles to Asia within months, though didn't specify an exact timeline, the type of weapons, or where exactly they would be positioned, the New York Times reported.
Australia's Defense Minister Linda Reynolds said earlier she raised the issue with Esper when she met him in Sydney at the weekend, after reading of his plans in the media.
“I can confirm that he made no request and he wasn't anticipating any request,” Reynolds told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Monday.
The U.S. is Australia's most important strategic ally, and some 2,500 U.S. Marines are stationed in the northern city of Darwin.
Esper and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo at the weekend participated in the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations, or AUSMIN talks, which have served as the principal forum for the allies' joint strategic, foreign and defense policies for 34 years.
To contact the reporter on this story: Edward Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
-
A New Samvat Wishlist: Inclusive Prosperity And Human Development
India has strengthened its economic foundations through infrastructure, digital access and enterprise. Its next growth chapter must deepen productivity, create better livelihoods and widen participation in prosperity.
-
Love, Sex Aur Dhokha: The Audacious Plot To Spy On Jensen Huang
A Taipei dinner, a Singapore chip buyer and a suspected Chinese asset: inside the alleged spy operation that got close to NVIDIA's Jensen Huang.
-
Ten Things I Learnt This Samvat
Patience can be a trap. Cheap stocks can stay cheap. Leverage can wipe you out. What did Samvat 2082 teach us? Niraj Shah writes on 10 lessons from the year gone by.
-
Talking Points This Week: Tech Nerves, FII Buying, And A Faraway Banking Shock
The global markets are not shining this Diwali. The exception in the large markets is, India.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
