Australia says U.S. return to Paris Agreement, WHO under Biden would be welcome

By Kirsty Needham

 

FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia would welcome President-elect Joe Biden restoring the United States to the Paris climate accord, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, speaking as he faced renewed pressure himself to boost efforts to cut Australia's carbon emissions.

 

"We would be welcoming the United States back into the Paris Agreement, somewhere we've always been," Morrison told reporters, saying a U.S. return to other global organisations like the World Health Organization (WHO) would also be welcome.

 

The United States formally withdrew from the Paris climate agreement last week, but Biden has promised to rejoin the Paris pact, and also commit to net zero emissions by 2050.

 

Although Australia state and territory governments have adopted the same 2050 target for net zero emissions, Morrison's federal government has yet to do so. Australia is a major exporter of fossil fuels, particularly coal, and Morrison said many countries have made qualified climate commitments.

 

On Monday independent lawmaker Zali Steggall introduced a climate bill to federal parliament seeking a net zero target, saying Australia would be "the pariah of the international community" if it didn't strengthen its climate commitments.

 

Meanwhile, underlining Australia's frustration with the outgoing President Donald Trump's "America First" policies, Morrison said Australia would welcome the U.S. back to the WHO, and potentially the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, signed by Australia and 10 other countries in 2018.

 

On Sunday, Morrison said Australia would also welcome the U.S. engaging with the World Trade Organization, because the way out of a global recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is "market-based trade, fair trade, under the proper rules through the World Trade Organization".

 

Australia is currently embroiled in a worsening commercial and diplomatic relationship with China, its largest trading partner.

Australian exporters have expressed concern that Chinese importers were warned off buying seven categories of Australian products from November 6.

 

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Chinese authorities had denied an "outright ban across a sweeping range of product categories", and products appeared to be moving through Chinese ports at this stage.

 

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-09

 

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...and something resembling normality starts to return.......I will never understand why supposedly intelligent people (not directly in the pay of) support such an utterly destructive force like Trump and the Republicans....good riddance.

We will be back just as soon as we car pry trump out of the White House 

10 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

...and something resembling normality starts to return.......I will never understand why supposedly intelligent people (not directly in the pay of) support such an utterly destructive force like Trump and the Republicans....good riddance.

Not being funny but your sounding like everything was the Fault of Trump. How do you have any clue if Biden is going to be any different everyoen talks the big talk but can they deliver. The only reason people wnat the US back in the WHO is because of the money they put into it so their agenda is one sided. Obviously you are a democrate or pro Biden i imagine the Republicans would have had the same thoughts.

Only time will tell

2 minutes ago, Tug said:

We will be back just as soon as we car pry trump out of the White House 

Still a couple of months to go he could cause mayhem before January the 20th...

Just now, stretch5163 said:

Not being funny but your sounding like everything was the Fault of Trump. How do you have any clue if Biden is going to be any different everyoen talks the big talk but can they deliver. The only reason people wnat the US back in the WHO is because of the money they put into it so their agenda is one sided. Obviously you are a democrate or pro Biden i imagine the Republicans would have had the same thoughts.

Only time will tell

You can't seriously believe Biden could be as bad as Trump in any sphere????

1 minute ago, stretch5163 said:

Still a couple of months to go he could cause mayhem before January the 20th...

He has already started....three senior positions, seen to be not overly supportive of him were sacked yesterday.

 

He is going to lash out like the only kid who wasn't given a sweet at kindergarten.

Sucked up to Trump and now sucking up to Biden. Still haven't found a spine

Scott Morrison didn't waste any time sucking up to the new president, who isn't even the president yet !  Australia should not be licking US ar$e.  Need to sort out problems with China first

The nation that is expected to pick up the cost is always welcome back. 

7 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Scott Morrison didn't waste any time sucking up to the new president, who isn't even the president yet !  Australia should not be licking US ar$e.  Need to sort out problems with China first

You definitely wouln't want the US aligned with on that issue. Much better to go it alone.

Off-topic, troll posts and replies removed.

 

14 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Scott Morrison didn't waste any time sucking up to the new president, who isn't even the president yet !  Australia should not be licking US ar$e.  Need to sort out problems with China first

 

Australia has no choice to work with the US as heavily dependent on US defense and political support. It is claimed Biden will be tough with PRC, but not making the same mistakes as trump e.g. trade war which so far is a losing proposition for the US. Hopefully Biden will use common sense and sign up with the Pacific Partnership for trade; Australia had already sorted out pharmaceuticals and other issues of concern prior to trump walking away in the false belief it was advantageous to the US to do so

Edited November 9, 20205 yr by simple1

Posts with a pejorative racial term have been reported and removed.  

 

SCOMO the  Chameleon !

Gutted  that China  has  halted   coal from  Oz. 

Yay ! Huh?

meanwhile  miners  from  Western  Australia  flip in and out  of Thailand  unheralded.

 

On 11/11/2020 at 5:56 AM, car720 said:

true....the Australian government, no matter which one or when, is back to kissing the American butt.

Yes. But kissing America's butt with Biden in charge is far better than kissing it with Trump in charge. Do you feel this way ?  I certainly do.

On 11/9/2020 at 10:12 PM, IAMHERE said:

The nation that is expected to pick up the cost is always welcome back. 

What cost? The paris accord is voluntary and trumps admin said they are meeting the targets anyway. So why not rejoin.

23 minutes ago, car720 said:

Probably but we are a proud country with a proud history and I don't like having leaders that are so sycophantic.  They have the nuts to stand up to the Chinese so why not the yanks?

True that.

26 minutes ago, car720 said:

Probably but we are a proud country with a proud history and I don't like having leaders that are so sycophantic.  They have the nuts to stand up to the Chinese so why not the yanks?

So you reckon Australia should stand up to America as well as China ???   Yes, a reasonable comment to make.

19 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

So you reckon Australia should stand up to America as well as China ???

 

Absolutely.