Key Sentence:
- But the move angered France, which said it was “stabbed in the back” while China accused the three powers of having a “Cold War mentality.”
- And the pact raises concerns that it could provoke China into war.
The alliance known as Aukus was announced on Wednesday by US President Joe Biden. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison. Although there is no mention of China, August is widely seen as an attempt to counter Beijing’s influence in the controversial South China Sea.
Johnson later told lawmakers the deal “shouldn’t be competitive” with China. He asked the Prime Minister about the “consequences” of the partnership in a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Johnson replied, “The UK remains committed to Australian Defense Deal defending international law. And this is strong advice we will be giving to our friends around the world and strong advice we will be giving governments in Beijing.”
“Shallow moment”
Washington, meanwhile, has tried to quell the anger in Paris over the pact. That derailed France’s multi-billion-dollar submarine deal with Australia. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the news as “a knife blow in the back.”
He called it a “brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision” that reminded him of former President Donald Trump. French diplomats in Washington have canceled celebrations to honor US-French relations in retaliation.
Media caption Why is everyone fighting for the South China Sea?
“This is a concise period,” former French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Arrow told the on the World Evening. “The United States knows that this agreement and this strategic agreement are in France’s fundamental national interests, and the United States does not care.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called France an “important partner” and said Washington would continue to work “very closely” with Paris.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki shrugged French critics.
“There are several partnerships that involve France and some that don’t. Australian Defense Deal And they have partnerships with other countries that don’t include us,” he said. “That’s part of how global diplomacy works.”
“Deep Strategic Change”
The pact, under which the Allies would also share cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence. And other underwater technologies, has described UK National Security Adviser Stephen Lovegrove as “a profound strategic change. This makes Australia the seventh country in the world to operate nuclear submarines. Mr. Lovegrove said the pact was “perhaps the most significant collaboration for skills in the world in the last six decades.”