Canberra criticizes PLA fighter aircraft's “unsafe” interaction in South China Sea but Beijing dismisses claims as fallacy.

BEIJING: China has issued a "stern protest" to Australia after a mid-air incident over the weekend involving military planes from the two countries, a spokesman for Beijing's defence ministry said on Wednesday (Oct 22).

China accused Australia of distorting facts and using inflammatory rhetoric following a mid-air encounter between the nations’ military aircraft and urged Canberra to avoid undermining bilateral ties.

President Donald Trump said he wants to accelerate nuclear submarine deliveries to Australia under the AUKUS agreement during White House meeting.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he expected to seal a "good" trade deal with China's Xi Jinping at a regional summit next week -- even as he warned the highly anticipated sit-down might yet be cancelled.

Australia is capable of engaging with the Trump administration while stabilizing relations with China, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said, reiterating the center-left government’s policy of balancing the fractious superpowers.

The Pentagon announced this summer that it was reviewing the deal, known as AUKUS, fueling angst in Canberra and London that the Trump administration might walk away from a rare agreement to expand production of nuclear submarines and partner on tech to ward off China.