Although overshadowed by the war in Gaza and a terrible mass shooting in Maine, Anthony Albanese's visit to the US delivered everything he would have hoped.
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A highpoint was President Joe Biden's unqualified support for AUKUS and the transfer of nuclear submarine technology to Australia.
The ground-breaking deal - this is only the second time America has shared this expertise - has run into headwinds. Some Republicans are concerned the US is already having trouble building boats fast enough to meet its own needs.
President Biden was quick to allay these concerns, noting that only last week he had asked Congress to approve $5.37 billion in "supplemental funds" to boost submarine production and maintenance to meet US needs and support AUKUS.
"It's important that Congress move quickly," he said.
The President, who said Democrats and Republicans alike understood the strategic value of AUKUS, repeated previous calls for Congress to pass the legislation.
"I'm confident we can get this through ... the question is not if [AUKUS will be approved] but when," he said.
The discussions about AUKUS were particularly timely given Mr Albanese will shortly be leaving for China to mark the 50th anniversary of Gough Whitlam's first visit as prime minister.
AUKUS is sure to be on the agenda when he meets with President Xi Jinping given China believes it is part of a Western plan to encircle and contain the country.
President Biden, who spoke at length with Mr Albanese about the China visit, said that when the deal was announced President Xi asked "were we just trying to surround China?".
His response, then and now, was "we're not surrounding China. We're just making sure the sea lanes remain open ... It's about maintaining stability ... it's going to increase the prospects for long-term peace rather than anything else".
The President - an old China hand who has met Xi Jinping more often than any other leader, clocking up 68 hours face time along the way - noted both the US and Australia must be careful about working with Beijing.
"Trust but verify is the phrase. And look, China is having their own internal and external difficulties right now," he said.
While Mr Albanese's visit marks a significant thaw in Australian-Chinese relations since last year's election, tensions remain.
President Biden has said the US is committed to "extreme competition" with China economically and politically, including offering alternatives to the Belt and Road initiative.
Mr Albanese acknowledged Australia was in "strategic competition" with China in the Indo Pacific and that this was something the country had to live with.
"The principle that I bring to it [the China relationship] is to cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, but engage in our national interest," he said.
He welcomed the opportunity to visit and said dialogue between the US and China, and China and Australia, was not just good for these countries but also the global community.
With the war in Ukraine four months short of entering its third year and the Middle East on the cusp of what could be a hot war involving Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, constructive dialogue has rarely been more essential.
The elephant in the room is the 2024 US election. If Trump, the "great disruptor", is elected US foreign policy will turn on a dime. All bets - including AUKUS and support for Ukraine - could be off.
