Playing on Mr Trump's frustration with allies who do not spend enough on defence, Mr Morrison will use an address to the US State Department to remind American leaders that Australia will lift its defence spending to 2 per cent of economic output. Mr Morrison will applaud the US as an example for other economies, hinting that it has shown the way for others including China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Jenny Morrison were greeted by Ambassador Joe Hockey on arrival in Washington DC. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "The new economies of the world, lifting hundreds of millions from poverty, do so because they saw the United States define a century and do it first, and then invited and supported them to follow," Mr Morrison says in his prepared remarks for his welcome to the White House. Mr Morrison wants Mr Trump and his colleagues to see Australia as their strongest military ally over the past century and is using the visit to pledge the same close alliance for the century ahead.

Mr Trump's officials believe the joint plan with Australia will improve the security of supply of materials in critical shortage, saying this will ensure economic security for both partners. Loading China's control of the market has triggered growing alarm on both sides of politics in Washington DC at the idea that China might respond to a trade war by halting supplies of essential materials such as lithium. "We're going to be rolling out a plan to improve security and supply of rare earth in a way that is mutually beneficial to both countries and strengthens … our physical security and our economic security," a Trump administration official said in a briefing on Thursday. US officials also praised Australia as a "tremendous partner" in opposing Iran's nuclear program and interference in shipping, while Mr Morrison made it clear he backed the US in its support for Israel – a totemic issue for Mr Trump.

"Under my government we have taken an even stronger stand against the biased and unfair targeting of Israel in the UN General Assembly," Mr Morrison says in the draft of his speech to the State Department. Loading "Australia may not be America's most powerful friend, but we are certainly your most sure and steadfast." Mr Morrison arrived in Washington DC on Friday morning, Australian time, for the first state visit by an Australian Prime Minister since George W Bush hosted John Howard with the same honours in 2006. He will emphasise the need to reduce trade barriers at a time when Mr Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping are lifting tariffs, highlighting Australia's success with free trade and the fact that the US has the advantage in the bilateral relationship.

"The current US trade surplus with Australia is greater than the combined US surpluses with all other G20 nations," he says in the State Department speech. "All US exports enter Australia tariff free and quota free. You can't get a better deal than that. We are the gold standard of US trade partners." Praising the US as the "architect" of the modern trading system, the Prime Minister will talk of modernising the system so it is a "level playing field" that protects the digital economy and intellectual property, but his draft remarks do not single out China for any criticism. The menu for the White House state dinner. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr Morrison and wife Jenny will present Mr Trump with a bronze statue of Leslie "Bull" Allen, an Australian infantry stretcher bearer from Ballarat who carried out 12 American casualties who came under fire in Papua New Guinea in 1943.