Australian intel chief: "American tech advantage utterly gone" in certain areas.

The US is losing ground to China on technological innovation and must pool its resources with the UK and Australia if it wants to regain dominance in the region and globally. This was echoed by Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO who now runs the US Special Competitive Studies Project, who called Huawei and its 5G infrastructure a signals intelligence nightmare. Schmidt urged the AUKUS nations to hire Chinese, Russian, and Indian scientists, and criticized Washington for restricting Chinese researchers from working in the US. Shearer warned that the military balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region is shifting away from the US and its allies, undermining deterrence. The Chinese Foreign Ministry warned the US against a military buildup in the Asia-Pacific region on Tuesday, accusing Washington of “pursuing its own interests and adhering to a zero-sum mindset” in a way that would inevitably result in increased tension and a threat to regional peace and stability.

Austrian quantum expert Michelle Simmons suggested the three countries form a “joint mission” on quantum computing to ensure they are at the forefront of the nascent field. The US is trailing China in 37 of 44 key tech research areas, according to a report published last month by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. New Zealand revealed its interest in joining AUKUS as the fourth member, albeit a non-nuclear member, with an eye toward collaborating on military tech like AI and quantum computing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry warned the US against a military buildup in the Asia-Pacific region on Tuesday, accusing Washington of “pursuing its own interests and adhering to a zero-sum mindset” in a way that would inevitably result in increased tension and a threat to regional peace and stability.