Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says US would not advise Scott Morrison to avoid China

One of Donald Trump’s closest political allies says there is no reason why Scott Morrison shouldn’t visit China following calls from WA Premier Mark McGowan and key business leaders for the Prime Minister to head to Beijing. Wilbur Ross, President Trump’s Commerce Secretary, who is in Australia for meetings with the Morrison Government on space exploration, US-Australia relations and critical minerals, told The West Australian yesterday he saw no issue with Mr Morrison visiting China. “Every country has to have its own political decisions, its own diplomacy but we visit China,” Mr Ross said during a wide-ranging sit-down interview in Sydney. “We are certainly not advising anyone not to visit China – why would we do that? They are a big customer for you, they are the number two economy in the world, it is not for us to tell you that you can’t go and visit them.” Mr Trump last visited China with First Lady Melania in November 2017. Mr Ross, pictured with wife Hilary Geary Ross, brushed off global tensions as a result of the continued US-China trade war and any negative impact it was having on Australian business saying the US was fighting for the world economically. “If we get what we think we would like to get it will help (Australian businesses) too because it’s not just American companies that have not got equal market access, that haven’t gotten equal procurement access, that have been competed against unfairly by state-owned enterprises that are subsidised — it is also Australian companies,” he said. “So in a sense we are fighting the fight for everyone. In a real sense China has become such a big country — it is now time if you are the number two economic power in the world you ought to act responsibly you ought to act like the world number two power.” Mr Ross’ comments on China come after Mr McGowan and business leaders urged Mr Morrison to visit China soon following Australia’s growing closeness to the US and increasingly strained relations between Australia and Beijing. Following months of saying meetings on the sidelines of international summits with China’s President Xi Jinping were sufficient, Mr Morrison said in Washington last month that he would go to China if he was invited but that he would not be asking to be issued an invitation. Mr Ross yesterday met the Prime Minister, pictured with Mr Trump below, in Sydney along with Trade Minister Simon Birmingham and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. He described them as “all good meetings” and said when he next came Down Under he would more than likely go to WA. Prior to his next visit he would be happy to talk to Mr McGowan to discuss critical minerals and our State’s contribution to any deal between Australia and the US. However Mr Ross said there was much more quantitative work to be done on securing a pipeline of investment for Australia’s critical minerals industry. He said one option on the table was the US potentially creating a strategic reserve on critical minerals built up from Australia. Mr Ross said Washington was still buzzing over the lavish state dinner in honour of Mr Morrison last month. “It’s created a funny problem for us — never before has there been an official dinner like that before in the Rose Garden with the musicians all around and when we have the next state dinner — how do we explain why it is not quite as elaborate,” he said.