Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came to the White House Monday offering cheaper access to the continent’s rare earth minerals and an invitation to visit to play golf. President Donald Trump gifted his fellow world leader a pledge to not only honor a Biden-era agreement on nuclear-powered submarines, but speed up production in an effort to boost allied naval power in the Pacific.

China’s influence loomed over both deals, as well as Albanese’s entire visit. Over the course of the meeting in the Cabinet Room, the longstanding alliance between Australia and the U.S. seemed bolstered as both countries made moves to counter Beijing’s creeping influence over the Pacific and China’s dominance of the raw materials used in new technologies.

As reporters watched, Trump and Albanese sig

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