After nearly a year waiting to meet US President Donald Trump, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sought to argue his country’s strategic value Monday – only for the “America first” leader to dominate the encounter by opining that Beijing had no plans to invade Taiwan and posed no real threat in the Indo-Pacific.

“China doesn’t want to do that,” he insisted on Taiwan, during a press gaggle alongside Albanese, but later stated that the island will be one of the topics of discussion when he meets with Xi next week in South Korea.

While Trump celebrated a multibillion-dollar minerals deal with Canberra aimed at curbing China’s leverage in trade talks, he also told Australia’s ambassador to Washington, former PM Kevin Rudd, that he didn’t like him and “probably never will” over past criticisms.

Trump said while he viewed Aukus, a 2021 deal signed with Australia and Britain, as a deterrent against Beijing in the strategic region he didn’t think that “we are going to need it”.

China has expressed strong opposition to Aukus, accusing it of violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as it transfers nuclear weapons to non-nuclear states.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) and US President Donald Trump during their meeting at the White House on Monday. Photo: EPA

When asked if he would provide more nuclear submarines to Australia to counter China’s “bad behaviour”, Trump instead said that he thinks that “China’s been very respectful to us”.