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SYDNEY: Australia would welcome President-elect Joe Biden to restore the United States to the Paris climate accord, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday (November 9), speaking as he faced new pressure to push forward efforts to cut emissions. carbon of Australia.
“We would welcome the United States back to the Paris Agreement, somewhere we’ve always been,” Morrison told reporters, saying that a return from the United States to other global organizations like the World Organization would also be welcome. Health (WHO).
READ: US formally resigns from Paris agreement, but Biden vows to return
The United States formally withdrew from the Paris climate accord last week, but Biden promised to rejoin the Paris pact and also commit to net zero emissions by 2050.
Although Australia’s state and territorial governments have adopted the same 2050 target of net zero emissions, the Morrison federal government has yet to do so. Australia is a major exporter of fossil fuels, particularly coal, and Morrison said that many countries have made qualified climate commitments.
On Monday, independent lawmaker Zali Steggall submitted a climate bill to federal parliament that seeks a net zero target, saying Australia would be “the pariah of the international community” if it did not strengthen its climate commitments.
Meanwhile, underscoring Australia’s frustration with outgoing President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, Morrison said Australia would welcome the United States 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 appreciate the United States engaging with the World Trade Organization, because the exit from a global recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is “market-based trade, fair trade, under the rules. suitable worldwide. Commercial Organization “.
READ: Biden’s victory opens the door to better predictability in China-U.S. Relations: Chinese state media
Australia is currently embroiled in a worsening diplomatic and trade relationship with China, its biggest trading partner.
Australian exporters have expressed concern that Chinese importers were warned not to purchase seven categories of Australian products from 6 November.
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Chinese authorities had denied a “total ban on a wide range of product categories”, and that products appeared to be passing through Chinese ports at this stage.
