The biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa comes as the grouping of mostly former British colonies grapples with questions over its future relevance and modern profile
King Charles attended the opening of the biennial Commonwealth summit in Samoa for the first time as the head of the 56-member group. AFP

As Australia and Britain welcomed their expanding growing economic and military partnership, leaders from both countries talked about plans to speed up the use of renewable energy technologies, which will create jobs and strengthen their economies.

The two nations will work together to develop and accelerate the use of renewable energy technologies, such as green hydrogen and offshore wind power, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a joint statement, Reuters reported.

They also plan to collaborate on strengthening their economies, reducing carbon emissions, and improving their cooperation on global climate action, including renewable energy and climate funding.

Albanese, who met Starmer during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, said, "This partnership will ... build on our long-standing cooperation on international climate action and shared commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050."

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The leaders announced the grant recipients under the two nations' Renewable Hydrogen Innovation Partnership Program, which will fund six projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in various industries. However, they did not specify whether any funding would be allocated to clean energy.

"Together, we're delivering better futures for our two countries, whether that's through protecting our national security with projects like AUKUS or delivering on our net zero commitments," Starmer said.

"The work that we'll do on the clean energy transition, working with the private sector, seeing this as an opportunity as well for industrial transformation and making sure that people aren't left behind as we transition to net zero, is something that we can work very closely on," Albanese said. "We share a vision for a modern and transformed Australia-United Kingdom relationship, which delivers tangible benefits and prosperity to both our nations and the Indo-Pacific," he added.

The CHOGM will place greater emphasis on climate change challenges, as many Commonwealth members are low-lying islands at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change.

Albanese and Starmer also reaffirmed their commitment to negotiate a bilateral treaty for the development of the SSN-AUKUS submarine.

AUKUS, the defense pact established in 2021 between Australia, the United States, and Britain, was aimed at enhancing security in the Indo-Pacific region. As part of this agreement, Australia will purchase five nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S. in the early 2030s, followed by the joint construction and operation of a new class of submarines, the SSN-AUKUS, with Britain about a decade later.

King Charles attended the opening of the Commonwealth biennial summit for the first time as the head of the 56-member group.