Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said China’s integration into the global economy paired with strong American involvement in the Asia-Pacific will reduce the risk of military conflict between the US and China.

In the US to meet US President Barack Obama, Mr Turnbull made a shift in tone from predecessor Tony Abbott in his first major foreign policy speech. He emphasised economic engagement – ahead of military power – as crucial to deter conflict between Australia’s largest trading partner, China, and its closest security ally, the US.

“The United States, China, Australia – all the nations – agree that the world has benefited mightily from China’s rise,” he said at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, which was overflowing on a freezing Martin Luther King national holiday.

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