650 million people across the world watched one of the great American achievements of

the century on their television sets. There was Neil Armstrong in his bulbous white

space suit, gingerly stepping off the lunar module, down onto the surface of the moon.

Soon after, he and his space suit twin, Buzz Aldrin, plunged a flagpole into the dusty

surface and unfurled the stars and stripes.

With the satellite dish that transmitted man's small step onto the moon, wasn't in Houston

or Cape Canaveral, but in the hills south of Canberra at a tracking station called Honey

Suckle Creek. The giant leap for mankind, an iconic American moment, was shared with

the world via Australia. It's one of the many ways Australia has assisted American

endeavors over the past century or so. Now, the US is counting on the same support as

tensions rise with China. I'm John Prado and this is Chex and Balance from the Economist.

Each week, we take one big theme, shaping American politics and explore it in depth.

Today, is Australia America's closest ally?

We have no greater friend, no greater partner, no greater ally than Australia, declared

Anthony Blinken, America's Secretary of State, during the recent visit down under.

If America were ever to go to war with China over Taiwan, Australia would be both a strategic

launch pad for American troops and US officials' hope, an ally in combat. How is the growing

threat from China reshaping America's relationships in the Indo-Pacific?

With me this week to discuss America's alliance with Australia,

our Charlotte Howard in New York and Anton Lagadia, the economist's diplomatic editor,

who is also in New York this week because the UN General Assembly hunger is underway.

Idris, of course, is off in Japan at the moment. Anton, how are you finding New York?

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