Trump’s Ambassador Pick for Australia to Focus on Defence, CCP Challenge

‘We think we [the US] have a China problem here, they got a real China problem there,’ said the chair of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Former Republican congressman David Brat David Brat poses for a photograph in Glen Allen, Virginia, on April 26, 2014. Jay Paul/Getty Images

Defence cooperation, Indo-Pacific ties, and critical minerals will be the three primary areas of focus for the Trump administration’s nominee as ambassador to Australia, David Brat.

Appearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations confirmation hearing, Brat said the partnership between the two countries “makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”