President Joe Biden announced a fresh initiative on Wednesday to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, a significant step toward opposing China as he seeks international support for his approach to Beijing.
The statement was made as part of new trilateral cooperation between the US, Australia, and the United Kingdom, which was announced jointly by the three nations' presidents on Wednesday afternoon.
From next week's United Nations meetings to a White House gathering of Asian leaders to October's Group of 20 discussions in Italy, Biden is likely to have a rush of diplomatic engagements this autumn.
US, UK, and Australia presidents to meet over the next several months
Officials stressed ahead of the announcement that the new cooperation between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia - three English-speaking maritime democracies - is not about China.
Instead, they said the three nations would meet over the next several months to collaborate on cyber concerns, new technology, and military to better tackle modern-day security challenges. AUKUS is the name of the new partnership, which is pronounced "aw-kiss."
The drive toward building nuclear submarine capabilities in Australia, which authorities say would allow the country to act militarily at a far higher level, will be at the heart of the announcement, KRDO reported. Nuclear submarines can move at higher speeds, for more extended periods, and more stealth than conventional submarines, which must surface more frequently.
China, which has frequently slammed Biden for concentrating US foreign policy on the Pacific in the early stages of his presidency, is likely to view the new security partnership as provocative. Per Stripes, a senior administration official tried to downplay the concept that the alliance would act as a deterrence to China in the area ahead of the announcement.
New alliance agree to share information, nuclear-powered submarines
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement, said the alliance's formation is part of a broader effort by the three countries to maintain engagement and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. According to the official, the three countries have agreed to share information in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber, and undersea defensive capabilities.
The official said the three nations also declared plans to assist Australia in getting nuclear-powered submarines. A little too far, the United States has only exchanged nuclear propulsion technology with the United Kingdom. The official from the government stated that Australia had no plans to build a nuclear weapons program and that intelligence exchange would be confined to assisting the country in developing a submarine fleet.
Boris Johnson stated during the announcement that the UK, Australia, and the United States would be linked even closer together, reflecting the measure of trust between us, the depth of our relationship, and the continuing strength of our shared principles of freedom and democracy. The new project's initial endeavor will be a partnership on future nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.
According to the UK government, this will "promote stability" in support of shared values and interests. Rolls Royce near Derby and BAE Systems in Barrow have been building and operating nuclear-powered submarines for almost 60 years, as per Express.co.
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