U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reassured Australia of the U.S. commitment to the region. He arrived in Australia for the first time, along with U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.
The administration pulled out of the Paris climate accord and the Trans-Pacific trade deal. But Tillerson assures allies that that doesn’t affect relations.
Tillerson clarified the administration’s position on world affairs.
“I hope—the fact that we are here demonstrates that that is certainly not this administration’s view or intention to somehow put at arm’s length the other important allies and partners in the world,” he said.
He said the deals were not beneficial to the American people, not that the United States is trying to change its role on the world stage.
