US eyes on Geelong
Carbon fibre development ’wonderful’, says envoy
FROM Ford and Alcoa to LeMond and Mustang, the industrial American eagle has been flying around the Geelong region for more than a century.
It’s a commercial legacy that top US diplomat James Carouso was keen to see first hand during a tour of Deakin University yesterday.
The Charge d’Affairs, effectively the interim American ambassador, met science and commerce chiefs at Deakin’s Waurn Ponds campus with US Consul-General Frankie Reed.
“I was curious to see how Geelong has transitioned from its industrial manufacturing base to the next thing and obviously the next thing is being born here at Deakin,” Mr Carouso said.
“Some of the things I’ve seen with carbon fibre manufacturing is just wonderful and the question for both our countries is how our societies go to the next thing, make that transition.”
Mr Carouso is Washington DC’s man in Canberra for the next few months after the departure of ambassador John Berry.
The Trump administration is yet to select a replacement for Mr Berry, who was an Obama appointee.
Although ties between Australia and America were put in the spotlight by publicity concerning Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and President Donald Trump’s working relationship, the Charge d’Affairs said the trans-Pacific bond remained close.
“The relationship is as strong as it ever was — not just military and intelligence but business to business and people to people,” Mr Carouso said.
“With the new administration, we’ve already had in the first six months, we’ve had a visit from the Vice-President (Mike Pence), Secretary of State (Rex Tillerson), Secretary of Defence (James Mattis) as well as the meeting of the Prime Minister and the President in New York to commemorate the Battle of the Coral Sea.”