Australia and the United States will announce plans to cooperate on extracting critical minerals and strengthening Pacific island infrastructure when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Washington this week, a senior Joe Biden administration official said.
Albanese arrived in Washington on Monday. His visit, which formally begins on Tuesday, focuses on expanding the alliance between Australia and the United States into an economic and technological partnership, he told reporters in Washington.
The two leaders are outlining details of greater cybersecurity cooperation, in addition to Microsoft’s $5 billion investment in Australia, according to a Biden administration official.
Several announcements, including an infrastructure project, will show cooperation between the United States and Australia in the Pacific, as both leaders say it is “imperative” to focus on the Pacific islands even as the United States faces increased attention to the crisis in the Middle East.
