Australia-China ties could be 'imperilled' under Trump

Australia's fragile relationship with China and Pacific nations could be at risk under Donald Trump's second presidential term, an expert warns.

Mr Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States at an inauguration ceremony attended by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

With Australians set to hit the ballot boxes some time before May 17, politicians from both major parties have insisted they will continue working with the US in accordance with Australia's national security and economic interests.

But Mr Trump could use a trilateral AUKUS partnership to threaten Australia's recently rekindled links with its largest two-way trading partner, La Trobe University professor Dennis Altman said.

"The whole global picture is uncertain," he told AAP.

The deal between Australia, the US and the UK is part of a $368 billion plan to deliver nuclear-powered submarines for Australian service, and while it has received bipartisan support in America, it is unclear how those within Mr Trump's administration will act.

"They might use the AUKUS agreement to push Australia into a position we would find very awkward," he told AAP.

"One of the real successes of both (Anthony) Albanese and Wong has been to re-establish a working, sensible relationship with Beijing.

"But that's imperilled now, and it's not helped by some of the people in the opposition who are echoing the war rhetoric of Trump's advisers."

Regardless, the federal government remains committed to the deal and on Tuesday it will announce an additional $262 million in funding over two years to bolster the local defence industry to help deliver new AUKUS submarines from the 2040s.

Australia's ties with its Pacific neighbours could also be jeopardised by Mr Trump's second term as the president has repeatedly indicated he would pull the US out of the Paris agreement on climate change, according to Prof Altman.

"It will give ammunition to the people on the right in both the Liberal and National Party who want to ditch a commitment to lower emissions," Prof Altman said.

"That will have huge implications for our relations with Pacific Island countries for whom this is an existential issue."

Australia has launched a bid to co-host the 2026 United Nations climate change convention with other Pacific nations and its relationship with these countries is dependent on climate action.

The US also holds significant influence over global culture wars and Mr Trump's term could embolden Australia's wealthy, right-wing figures.

"They are going to use the Trump presidency to push back against what they regard as woke policies on gender, sexuality and multiculturalism," Prof Altman said.

Australia is unlikely to loom large within the president's world view, but Tuesday's event was the first time an Australian foreign minister has been invited to a US presidential inauguration.

Senator Wong was pleased to be in attendance and said her invitation showed the strength of the Australia-US alliance.

"The US is our closest global partner, it is our most important strategic relationship," she told reporters in Washington DC.

"The alliance is critical to both our nations and is critical to our region."

Senator Wong will spend the following days meeting with members of Mr Trump's administration, including the nominee for secretary of state Marco Rubio, and her counterparts within the Quad alliance including Japan's Takeshi Iwaya and India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.