The U.S., Britain and Australia will announce talks on Monday about bringing new members into their AUKUS security pact as Washington pushes for Japan to be involved as a deterrent against China, the Financial Times reported.
The announcement by the group's defense ministers will be related to "Pillar Two" of the pact, which commits the members to jointly developing quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic missile, artificial intelligence and cyber technology, the newspaper reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the situation.
They are not considering expanding the first pillar, which is designed to deliver nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia, the FT said.