China slams 'arms race' as Aukus moves forward

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the Aukus pact between was “moving along very rapidly,” signalling he would allow the Biden-era partnership to go ahead even as his administration reviewed whether to keep it going, Bloomberg reported.

- Agencies

“Ttwas made a while ago, and nobody did anything about it,” Trump said during a meeting with Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House on Monday. “It was going too slowly. Now we're starting, we have it all set.”

China has been vocal in its criticism, saying the Aukus , together with the Quad alliance between the US, India, Japan and Australia, was aimed at countering its rise.