Roundtable with HE the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC

On Friday, 4 August 2023, the Perth USAsia Centre was honoured to host a roundtable discussion with His Excellency, the Honourable Dr Kevin Rudd AC, Australian Ambassador to the United States of America.

Ambassador Rudd’s appointment in March 2023 coincides with implementation of the AUKUS pact and rising tensions between the US and China, including over Taiwan. Ambassador Rudd provided insights on these developments, including lessons from his 2022 book, The Avoidable War, which considered pathways for avoiding US-China conflict.

The US and Australia have also pledged to make action on climate a “third pillar” of their alliance – Canberra and Washington announced the Australia-US Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact in May 2023. The Western Australian critical minerals and renewables industry was well-represented at the discussion and suggested their priorities for bilateral cooperation in this sector.