Australia, Britain to hold talks on boosting defence and economic ties

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia and Britain's defence and foreign ministers will hold talks in Sydney on Friday on boosting cooperation, coinciding with Australia's largest war games and the first visit by a British carrier strike group in three decades, Australia said.

Following the Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN), Britain's Foreign Minister David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey are scheduled to travel to the northern garrison city of Darwin, where the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has arrived for the Talisman Sabre war games. 

Australia sees Britain as a critical partner and the two countries are working closely amid "shared strategic challenges in an increasingly complex and uncertain world", Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a statement.

As many as 40,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercises held from July 13 to August 4, which Australia's military has said are a rehearsal of joint war fighting that contribute to stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, with 3,000 troops taking part.

The talks are expected to focus on progressing the AUKUS partnership for Britain and Australia to build a new class of nuclear-powered submarine, even as the United States reviews the trilateral defence technology agreement and presses Australia to increase defence spending.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Britain and Australia were "longstanding friends" and the two countries wanted to modernise the relationship.

"From building defence capability and boosting economic resilience, to standing up for human rights, advancing gender equality, and defending the international rules and institutions that protect us all," she said in a statement.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)