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Washington bars US officials from Australia defence talks

Washington bars US officials from Australia defence talks

In a stunning move that's rattled defence circles from Canberra to Washington, the Trump administration has pulled senior US defence officials from attending high-level talks on defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The Pentagon has withdrawn from the talks scheduled for this week in Canberra in line with a ban on US officials participating in think tank events that don't align with 'America First' values. The move comes as Australia beefs up its defence ties with Tokyo, awarding a ten billion dollar naval ship-building contract to Japan.
Guests: Tom Corben, research associate, United States Studies Centre, Sydney University; Zach Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington DC.
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