When Joe Biden appeared before the press in the East Room of the White House late Wednesday afternoon, he was on time for once. The US President is framed by two large screens showing his colleagues from Australia and Great Britain, Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson.
At this point, word had already got around that it was about a new security partnership in the Indo-Pacific region. But the dimension of the armaments deal that was announced afterwards still surprises some.
Together with Great Britain, the United States is supporting Australia, which is increasingly exposed to Chinese pressure, with the construction of eight nuclear-powered submarines to begin with. The three heads of state and government do not mention China by name. But it is clear against whom the initiative is directed: against China’s increasingly aggressive claims to power in the region, be it economic or military.
The USA provides Australia with its nuclear technology for submarines
For the first time in around 70 years, the United States will provide an ally with technology that only the British were previously privy to. The fleet will be the first initiative of the newly established trilateral security partnership Aukus. This will make Australia the first country without nuclear weapons to receive nuclear submarines.
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Biden emphasizes that this would not be used to armed boats with nuclear weapons. It’s about making sure everyone had modern resources “to respond to the rapidly evolving threats and defend ourselves,” he says. China is already using nuclear submarines.
The deal has several levels of meaning. On the one hand, it comes shortly after the partially chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, which has raised doubts among America’s partners about the predictability and competence of Washington. With the announcement that it will stand by Australia in the Indo-Pacific region against the common Chinese challenge, the US government wants to demonstrate strength and loyalty to the alliance.
The Chinese speak of a Cold War mentality
However, the procedure also involves risks. Biden has announced that he will counter China more aggressively and criticize human rights violations more sharply. The US wants to involve the Chinese in the fight against climate change. That will hardly have become easier now.
In an initial response, the Chinese embassy in Washington stated that the deal showed a “cold war mentality”. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry says Aukus is undermining “regional peace and stability and promoting the arms race.”
Australia, on the other hand, has now clearly positioned itself – as a partner and ally of the USA and Great Britain. Morrison also explains why.
“The relatively friendly environment that we have enjoyed in our region for many decades is behind us,” he says. “We have undoubtedly entered a new era with new challenges for Australia and for our partners, friends and countries throughout our region.”
Australia has long been more confident against China
In fact, Australia has been appearing self-confidently for a long time. Canberra has addressed China’s human rights violations against the Uyghur minority, for example, and has not made it easy for Chinese companies in the country either. The telecommunications company Huawei was excluded from the expansion of the 5G network.
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In addition, Australia withdrew from the “Belt and Road” initiative. China is investing in infrastructure projects worth billions around the world through the project, also known as the “New Silk Road”. In return, China has introduced massive punitive tariffs and import blockades.
France represents collateral damage from the new pact. The deal means the end of an agreement that Canberra made with Paris in 2016. Work on twelve conventional submarines, which should be completed in Adelaide by 2030 – a deal worth the equivalent of just under 56 billion euros – has now been stopped, explains Morrison.
France’s foreign minister compares Biden to Trump
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian angrily says Canberra “stabbed Paris in the back”. This is not dealing with allies. He also speaks of a “brutal” decision Biden based on the model of Donald Trump.
Referring to the recently announced EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, he says that the decision of the Anglo-Saxons shows the need for more “strategic sovereignty” for Europe. At first it doesn’t help that Biden emphasizes that they will work closely with key partner France in the Indo-Pacific.
The French are pissed off. Above all, probably about the fact that they only found out about the deal a few hours before the announcement, as the US government confirmed on Thursday. And that apparently no one had even considered involving the close ally in the new deal. As a response to the rude behavior of the Americans, the French ambassador in Washington, Philippe Etienne, canceled a gala on Thursday that was scheduled in honor of the Franco-American friendship.
