The Australian government has welcomed the Biden administration’s initial stance on China, with US Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos saying it was on track to be “consistent with where we’ve been”.

Mr Sinodinos, who was one of a select crowd of dignitaries invited to Joe Biden’s scaled-back inauguration ceremony at the Capitol, also praised the “pitch perfect” swearing-in.

Mr Biden has pledged to spend his first days unwinding some of Donald Trump’s key policies.

Concerns this may have included the US stepping back its pressure on China were allayed when Mr Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, said on Tuesday he supported Mr Trump’s muscular posture.

“As we look at China, there is no doubt that it poses the most significant challenge of any nation state to the United States,” Mr Blinken said in his Senate confirmation hearing.

“We have to start by approaching China from a position of strength, not weakness.”

Mr Sinodinos welcomed this statement and said it accorded with Australia’s leading role in taking on China over the past year.

Mr Sinodinos said he expected the Biden administration to be “quite strategic” and to continue to support Australia.

*Sourced by The Daily Telegraph, Photos: Twitter/Arthur Synodinos AO

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has delivered the first news briefing of Joe Biden’s presidency, a once standard part of past administrations that was largely sidelined during the Trump era.

Psaki said Wednesday that she will bring truth and transparency to the White House briefing room, a clear reference to her predecessors under President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration took an openly combative tone with the news media.

Sean Spicer, who was Trump’s first press secretary, set the tenor four years ago by claiming that the audience at Trump’s inauguration was the largest in history, despite photographic evidence to the contrary.

In her inaugural briefing as White House press secretary, Jen Psaki said she has a “deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy,” and pledged to hold daily briefings.

Why it matters: Conferences with the press secretary in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room became almost non-existent under the Trump administration. By sending Psaki to the podium hours after President Biden took the oath of office, the White House signaled a return to pre-Trump norms.

The big picture: After establishing her commitment to daily appearances, the briefing reestablished a familiar pattern of questions, answers and some dodges, with reporters looking for information — as well as color — about Biden’s first hours in the Oval Office. 

• Psaki took her first question from Zeke Miller of the Associated Press, giving deference to the storied wire service, before turning to NBC’s Peter Alexander.
• Reporters asked a mix of routine questions about the president’s calls with foreign leaders and upcoming travel, while also pressing her on Biden’s immediate agenda and legislative strategy. Other reporters wanted details on the contents of the note outgoing President Trump left for Biden.
• Psaki called Trump’s letter to Biden “both generous and gracious.”
• Biden’s first foreign leader phone call will be on Friday with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The bottom line: Psaki answered some questions and parried others, while trying to establish a rapport with the room and reconnect with some reporters she has long known.

• “Let’s do this again tomorrow,” she said.

READ MORE: The Greek designer behind Amanda Gorman’s symbolic hoop earrings

At just 22, the nation’s first Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman delivered one of the most poignant and profound moments at Wednesday’s inauguration of President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. 

With poise and grace, she read her poem “The Hill We Climb” wearing a bright yellow Prada blazer and a symbolic gift from Oprah Winfrey: statement gold and diamond hoop earrings by Nikos Koulis.

On this historic day, Winfrey, who has been one of Gorman’s most vocal supporters, gave the young poet the bold earrings and a birdcage ring, which recalls Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” poem.

Making this a tradition, Oprah gave Angelou a gift before she delivered her reading at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration.

Gorman’s words and story touched a nation and were felt as far away as Athens, Greece where designer Nikos Koulis watched the inauguration with friends and family in his hometown.

“Amanda Gorman’s speech was filled with energy,” Koulis said in an interview with Town and country. 

Oprah’s earrings will no doubt be a memorable gift, but in addition to its sentimental meaning, the bold gold hoops also reflected Gorman’s youthful spirit. There’s something liberating about big hoops, a style that been a symbol of power across cultures and throughout history, and worn by women in every generation.

For Koulis, one of the jewelry industry’s favorite designers for both his talent and kindheartedness, it’s an historic moment.

“I am in awe that as an independent designer from Greece, my work is somehow present in this highly symbolic and majestic occasion,” he said.

Who is Nikos Koulis?

Nikos Koulis is a Greek designer with worldwide recognition and success. Coming from an established family business in jewelry, he studied Gemology and Glyptography in the Gemological Institute of America and created his own brand, Nikos Koulis Jewels, in 2006, showcasing his elaborate technique along with his deep knowledge in the quality jewelry making.

His atelier is in Athens and has two boutiques in Athens and Mykonos.

Koulis received the GEM Award 2020 in Jewelry Design, one of the most prestigious awards in the international Jewelry Industry.

Among others, his loyal fans include H.R.H. Queen Rania of Jordan, Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Fonda, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Vikander, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lawrence, Saoirse Ronan, Chrissy Teigen, Emilia Clarke and Rihanna.

Daniel Bennett Smith, a former Ambassador to Greece from 2010 to 2013, has been appointed as Acting US Secretary of State.

Smith, 64, was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve in this position until nominee Antony Blinken is confirmed by the Senate.

The announcement comes a day after the confirmation hearing of Blinken, 58, a veteran foreign policy hand and close Biden confidant. There has been no indication that Blinken would face difficulty being confirmed.

Smith was appointed director of the Foreign Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, in 2018 and holds the State Department’s highest diplomatic rank of Career Ambassador.

Blinken says Turkey not acting like an ally

On Tuesday, Blinken accused NATO member Turkey of not acting like an ally and said Washington would review if further sanctions are required on Ankara over its acquisition of a Russian air defense system.

Last month, Washington imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey’s defense industry over its acquisition of S-400 missile defense systems from Moscow, in a move Turkey called a “grave mistake.”

“The idea that a strategic – so-called strategic – partner of ours would actually be in line with one of our biggest strategic competitors in Russia is not acceptable,” Antony Blinken, Biden’s choice for chief U.S. diplomat, told lawmakers.

*With information from Reuters/Kathimerini

Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, vowing to end the “uncivil war” in a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Biden, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, gave the oath of office on a 127-year-old family Bible just before midday Wednesday (local time) at Washington DC’s Capitol building.

“This is America’s day,” Mr Biden said to begin his inaugural address. 

“This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve.”

At 78, he is the oldest person to become US president. 

A short time earlier Kamala Harris became the first black, South-Asian and female American to be vice-president.

Ms Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina justice.

In attendance at the ceremony were former US presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with outgoing vice-president Mike Pence. 

Outgoing president Donald Trump did not attend the ceremony, breaking with more than 150 years of tradition. He left the White House to attend a farewell event at Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland before flying to Florida.

World leaders congratulate Biden, Harris

World leaders have paid tributes to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as they were sworn in as the 46th President and Vice President of the United States.

Historic allies in the EU and U.K. have struck the most upbeat tone, with Ursurla von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, saying there’s a “friend in the White House” after four years where transatlantic relations often were strained.

“This is a historical achievement, and this also makes this day very special,” she said. “This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been waiting for so long. Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner.”

Greek PM congratulates Biden, Harris

Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis also congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after they were sworn in as the 46th President and Vice-President of the United States, on the West Front of the US Capitol in Washington DC.

“Warmest congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. It is with a sense of renewed optimism that we look forward to further strengthening the bonds and friendship between our two nations,” Mitsotakis said in a tweet on his official account. 

Sakellaropoulou: Greece-US cooperation will strengthen during Biden’s tenure

President Katerina Sakellaropoulou expressed her certainty that Greek-US relations will become even stronger during the tenure of US President Joe Biden, during her speech at a special event organized by the US Embassy in Athens on Wednesday. 

The event has held in the context of the “Greece-US: Celebrating 200 Years of Friendship” campaign and Sakellaropoulou was invited by US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt at the ancient Athenian Agora to mark the Wednesday inauguration ceremony of the Biden administration in Washington DC.

“Today is an important day, not just for the United States of America, but for the entire world. I am very glad that we are at the ancient market of Athens, the place with the highest symbolic value for democracy,” she said.

Ambassador Pyatt said Biden “is a friend of Greece who knows this country and its people well.”

*With information from ABC/Kathimerini/wires