In the busy Indo-Pacific, where over 60 percent of global sea trade flows, the US, UK, and Australia are deepening their strategic alignment. This week, during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s White House visit, President Donald Trump endorsed the next phase of the AUKUS’ pact, reaffirming Canberra’s purchase of at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines, with deliveries expected in the early 2030s.

This move is closely tied to an $8.5 billion rare-earth minerals deal now under discussion, channeling billions into Australia’s mining and processing sector. The initiative aims to reduce Western reliance on China, which currently refines about 90 percent of global rare earths. In essence, both frameworks are about Beijing.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun expressed concerns (about AUKUS developments), stating the moves could heighten regional tensions, raise nuclear proliferation risks, and contribute to an arms race.

Such moves sharpen tensions, turning economic ties into strategic conflicts. One may recall that AUKUS, born in 2021 under the Biden administration, was sold as a bulwark for a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” Pillar 1 promised Australia nuclear-powered subs to patrol vast ocean moats, while Pillar 2 eyed joint tech ventures in AI, cyber, and hypersonics. The pact has thus far survived a Pentagon review, under Trump, that once cast shadows over its future

Trump, ever the........

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