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The announcement made during a video meeting between US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the emerging alliance will undoubtedly be very angry with Beijing.
France was quick to express its discontent, which negotiated the sale of conventional submarines with Australia. Under this contract, Australia would have bought submarines for many billions of dollars.
Biden said that by giving Australia the opportunity to build nuclear submarines, the country would have “cutting edge capabilities, which we need to maneuver and defend against rapidly evolving threats.”
Australian submarines will not be armed with nuclear weapons, only powered by nuclear reactors, emphasized Biden and other leaders.
Morrison later announced that Australia would also acquire the US Tomahawk long-range winged missile.
Chinese motif
The three leaders did not mention China when announcing the association, dubbed VICTIMS, but the reason is obvious.
“Our world is becoming more complex, especially here in our region, in the Indian and Pacific oceans. It affects us all. “The future of India and the Pacific will affect the future of all of us,” Morrison said.
Johnson added that he would work with his colleagues to “preserve stability and security in the India-Pacific region.”
During a visit to Southeast Asia last week, US Vice President Kamala Harris accused Beijing of “actions that threaten the rules-based international order,” especially in the South China Sea, where China’s territorial disputes with their neighbors have been frequent in recent years.
“Complex project”
Over the next year and a half, naval technicians and representatives from the three countries will decide how to modernize Australia’s capabilities. According to Johnson, it will be “one of the most complex and technically difficult projects in the world, lasting decades.”
In addition to the submarine fleet, the VICTIMS will join forces on “cyber, DI (artificial intelligence), especially applied DI, quantum technology, certain underwater capabilities,” said a senior Biden administration official.
He has repeatedly emphasized that the solution is unique and that, apart from Australia, Britain is the only other country to have received US aid to build a fleet of nuclear ships.
“This technology is extremely delicate,” the official said. “We consider it special.”
As China builds its navy and continues to challenge decades of US military dominance in Asia, the creation of AUKUS with an emphasis on submarines should “send a signal of calm and determination to maintain a strong deterrent,” the US official said.
He said that even without nuclear weapons, the new submarines would allow Australia to “operate at a much higher level.”
“Nuclear submarines have better stealth, speed, maneuverability, survivability characteristics and really high durability,” the official said.
“There will be much more compatibility between our navies and the nuclear infrastructure,” he said. – This is a fundamental, fundamental decision. It connects Australia, … the United States and Great Britain for generations. “
There will be no agreement with France
In an attempt to reassure Paris, Biden said that France was an “important partner and ally” in the Indian and Pacific regions.
But the new alliance torpedoed Australia’s deal with France to buy conventional submarines, personally backed by President Emmanuel Macrono.
Morrison confirmed Thursday morning that Australia was withdrawing from the contract.
An earlier statement from the French Foreign Ministry said the choice of US submarines “goes against the development and spirit of cooperation between France and Australia.”
The contract with France at the time of signing was worth around $ 50 billion. Australian dollars (31,000 million euros). It has recently been valued at around $ 90 billion. Australian dollars.
The French company had agreed to build 12 conventional submarines, but the order was delayed for several years, the budget was significantly exceeded, and complications arose due to internal Australian politics.
VICTIMS have been announced as China takes an increasingly aggressive stance and Australia increases defense spending as a result.
Morrison will speak with Biden again on September 24, this time face-to-face. The meeting will take place during the first meeting of the Quad diplomatic group – the United States, Australia, Japan and India, considered a counterweight to China – at the White House.
Paris: Australia’s decision to stop buying subs – a ‘stab in the back’
The French foreign minister on Thursday resented Australia’s unexpected decision to abandon a major submarine purchase contract and replace it with a US nuclear submarine.
“It just came to our attention then. We have established a relationship of trust with Australia and that trust has been betrayed,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Info radio.
“I’m very angry today … The allies don’t do those things to each other,” he said.
“This sudden and unpredictable decision is very reminiscent of what Trump would do,” J.-Y. Le Drian, mentioning the former president of the United States, Donald Trump.
US President Joe Biden announced a new defense pact with Australia and the UK on Wednesday. Under him, Canberra will build a fleet of nuclear submarines. Few American allies have such a privilege.
The creation of the alliance highlights growing concerns about China’s growing influence in the India-Pacific region, where France also wants to defend its interests, including its involvement in New Caledonia.
French Defense Secretary Florence Parly called Australia’s move on Thursday “very bad news in terms of keeping the word” and added that Paris “clearly sees the United States treating its allies.”
“It is serious in terms of geopolitics and international relations,” he told RFI radio.
China’s response has condemned the tripartite defense alliance
Beijing on Thursday condemned the new US alliance with Australia and the UK, which envisions a fleet of Canberian nuclear submarines, calling it a “highly irresponsible” threat to regional stability.
The agreement “seriously undermines peace and stability in the region, promotes an arms race,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference.
The allies did not mention China when they announced the submarine deal on Wednesday, but the reason was obvious as the three countries mentioned security concerns in the India-Pacific region.
The alliance was announced as China took an increasingly aggressive stance and Australia increased defense spending as a result.
The alliance, backed by SACRIFICE, is seen as an attempt to counter China’s growing economic and military power in the region.
“The US and UK exports of highly sensitive nuclear subsea technology to Australia demonstrate once again that they use nuclear technology exports as a tool for geopolitical games and apply double standards, which is extremely irresponsible,” said Zhao Lijian. .
He added that after such an agreement, the countries of the region “may question Australia’s sincerity in complying with its non-proliferation commitments.”
Zhao Lijian called on the Western allies to “abandon their old-fashioned Cold War mentality” as long as one wins, the other wins “because otherwise they risk” shooting at their feet. “
