President Joe Biden will host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for an official visit to the US on Oct. 25, including a state dinner, in the latest sign of close relations between Washington and Canberra.
Albanese will travel to the US from Oct. 23-26, where he will meet with Biden to discuss further progress on US-Australia agreements around climate change, critical minerals and the AUKUS security partnership.
The visit is in part an apology from the US administration for the scrapping of a planned trip to Australia in May due to protracted negotiations in Washington over lifting the debt ceiling. In announcing the cancellation in May, Biden invited Albanese to visit the White House later in 2023.
Only three Australian prime ministers have been accorded the honor of a state dinner at the White House since 2000. The last occasion was before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, when then-President Donald Trump held a dinner for former Australian leader Scott Morrison.
The two countries announced in July that the US would be expanding its military footprint in Australia over coming years, including more frequent and longer visits of US submarines and collaborating on guided missile production.
Albanese is also widely expected to visit China later this year.
