Senior US defence official Elbridge Colby says US 'will not be deterred' from its call for allied countries to boost defence spending

Anthony Albanese has rebuffed a terse call from Donald Trump's key defence adviser Elbridge Colby to dramatically increase its defence spending, as the Prime Minister begins a six-day trip to China amid reports Australian defence officials have been asked whether Australia would support the US in the event of a conflict in Taiwan. Overnight on Sunday, Mr Colby, the US Undersecretary of Defence, said the US' position of "achieving peace through strength" was "abundantly and consistently clear," and would include urging allies to "step up their defence spending and other efforts related to our collective defence". This follows Mr Hegseth's…