What is Australia's commitment to the AUKUS submarine deal and whether it will help Taiwan had problematic answers. Canberra said it did not vow to help the US repel China if it would raid Taipei.
Australia Denies Promise To Help US Defend Taiwan
Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC Television that it's not part of the access to submarines, including a deal to help the US if China tries to invade Taiwan. He added that Canberra is not obligated to have it part of the deal, mentioned ABC.
The Aussie defense minister added that the government did not vow to back up the US if a military conflict due to Taiwan is the price to buy American nuclear-powered attack submarines on Sunday. Recently, the Indo-Pacific region has been a hotbed of tension as Washington has been allegedly acting provocatively by encouraging its allies to get involved.
On Monday, the AUKUS was revealed again, including the US, Australia, and Britain as partners in the deal. This deal revolves around selling Virginia-class submarines and the UK, Canberra, who will be building and operating a new type of submarine called SSN-AUKUS, noted Alarabiya News.
The deal, which costs about A$368 billion ($246 billion) according to the Australian Centre-left Labor government, is needed to stem the military buildup of China. This is one of the most comprehensive military developments after the Second World War, reported ANews.
AUKUS Submarine Deal Is Not Against China
China has consistently held that the democratically ruled Taiwan is part of China's sovereignty and is not separate. The mainland government did not deny that it has taken the option of recovering the island enclave by force anytime soon.
This concern for Taiwan to keep its independence from Beijing has led to a difficult situation that has pitted Washington and Beijing into raised tensions. US President Joe Biden has taken the opportunity to say that the US forces will be protecting Taipei if China finally decides to subdue the enclave.
The US, which is the primary author of the AUKUS deal, that a few Asian allies have embraced, but not all. Except for Beijing, which sees the hand of Washington as causing the spread of nuclear weapons instead of keeping them less. Under the terms of the deal, that will sell Canberra three nuclear subs by the early 2030s and two more should it be the chosen option.
On Sunday, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell stated that he is confident that a scheduled visit to China meeting Chinese trade minister Wang Wentao is going ahead even as AUKUS is muddling everything. Farrell mentioned, for all intents, that the meeting signals lessening tensions between the opposing countries. He added that scheduling a visit by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in 2023 to Beijing based on a transcript mentioned by Sky News.
AUKUS will have a A$6 billion ($4 billion) investment for up to 4 years to develop a submarine base with shipyards and expert workers as part of the venture. It is to expand the US and UK shipbuilding capacity to construct the USN Virginia-class submarines. Australia stressed the submarine deal is for security, not to defend Taiwan. Canberra stressed the deal is not a quid quo pro to fight alongside Washington.
