00:00Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says boosting the number of nuclear-powered submarines operated by Australia, the US and the UK will make the Indo-Pacific more secure and align with US interests.
00:12He is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Canada just a week after the Pentagon announced a review of the Trilateral Pact.
00:21Albanese says he'll stress Australia's financial contribution to bolstering US industrial submarine production, expanded access for US vessels to Australian maintenance yards and the long-standing US military presence in Darwin.
00:36He will also stand firm on AUKUS, resisting calls for an alternative plan despite the US probe, while Canberra has downplayed the review as routine.
00:46The US move has sparked renewed concerns among allies about the future of the US$239 billion pact, which could become even more costly if Trump seeks changes under his America First policy.
Comments