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The United States, Britain and Australia announced a security pact, dubbed the "Aukus" alliance, in September 2021, which includes an agreement to help Canberra secure a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The move was seen as targeted at China, and has caused anger in France and India.
Two Republican critics of Biden’s China policy have called for a strategy similar to Ronald Reagan’s approach to the Soviet Union. Despite building regional alliances, the Biden administration has shied away from resurrecting free trade negotiations with allies and partners in Asia.
State Department’s No 2 now admits Aukus joint submarine project between three of the Five Eyes is tied to Taiwan and mainland China.
- Pakistan’s eight Hangor-class submarines are equipped with technology that surpass that of India’s current Scorpène-class submarines, analysts say
- By supplying the submarines to its Pakistani ally, China is set to establish a bigger military presence in the Indian Ocean
Australia’s former top diplomat Bob Carr will sue New Zealand’s foreign minister Winston Peters over incendiary allegations about the closeness of his ties to China.
South Korea is the latest country to explore the possibility of working with Aukus, after both Japan and New Zealand flagged their interest in recent months.
The 80-page document unveiled on Wednesday explicitly calls out ‘China’s coercive tactics in pursuit of its strategic objectives’. Australia’s optimistic assumptions for the post-Cold War era ‘are long gone’, the defence minister said.
Possible enlargement of the Indo-Pacific cooperation pact could leave China more isolated, with a more complex network of potential adversaries.
The relationship between the two Asian giants is already ‘complex and delicate’, despite their intertwined economies.
US officials acknowledge foreign anxiety over whether new partnerships under Indo-Pacific strategy will last if Trump becomes president.
Canberra insists the Aukus submarines are being acquired to strengthen Australia’s defence, and maintain that the nation will have sovereignty over the vessels.
Fumio Kishida says that in areas like semiconductors, AI, quantum computing and biotech, it is ‘increasingly important for the two countries to build resilience’ as the two allies work to counterbalance China.
Tokyo’s involvement would be limited to cooperation on developing advanced technologies, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.
Move ‘disregards the risk of nuclear proliferation’ and would ‘intensify the arms race’ in the region, foreign ministry spokeswoman says.
Talks will relate to ‘Pillar II’ of the pact, covering quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic, AI and cyber technology, Financial Times reports, citing people in the know.
‘Unprecedented trilateral engagement’ for Washington, Tokyo and Manila when countries’ leaders meet next week, No 2 State Department official says.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters urged Beijing to respect Wellington’s right to an independent foreign policy, saying ‘Aukus is about looking after our own defence’.
Among the options are the co-production of submarines in Australia and the life extension of its Collins-class submarines, analysts say.
Australian defence minister Richard Marles said Canberra, London and Washington are ‘working at pace to make this happen’.
The subs – a key step in the Aukus security pact – will be quieter and stealthier than Australia’s existing fleet and will not carry nuclear weapons.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Australian counterpart Penny Wong that tariffs on wine were currently under review when they met on Wednesday.
Fierce resistance mounted by Australian unions against plans for a new submarine base shows the challenge facing the high-stakes defence project aimed at countering China’s influence.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit comes amid a tilt by New Zealand towards US and Australian defence policy, and concerns that Wellington could join Aukus.
