US Deals With France, China Fury Over Australia Nuclear Submarine Deal

Washington: Australia and therefore the us announced expanded military cooperation on Thursday, including rotational deployments of all kinds of U.S. military aircraft to Australia, each day after announcing a submarine deal denounced by China as intensifying a regional race .
Speaking after meetings between the U.S. and Australian foreign and defense ministers, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the 2 sides would be “significantly enhancing our force posture cooperation, increasing interoperability and deepening alliance activities within the Indo-Pacific.”

“This will include greater air cooperation through rotational deployments of all kinds of U.S. military aircraft to Australia,” Dutton told a joint press conference in Washington.

“We’ve also established combined logistics sustainment and capability for maintenance to support our enhanced activities, including logistics and sustainment capability for our submarines and surface combatants in Australia.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the meeting had endorsed “major force-posture initiatives which will expand our access and presence in Australia.”

On Wednesday, the us and Britain said they might provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.

The us and its allies are trying to find ways to keep off against China’s growing power and influence, particularly its military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and deployments within the contested South China Sea.

China, in denouncing the new pact with Australia, said such partnerships shouldn’t target third countries. The us , Britain and Australia were “severely damaging regional peace and stability, intensifying an race , and damaging international nuclear non-proliferation efforts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

The White House defended the U.S. decision to supply Australia with advanced technology for nuclear-powered submarines, rejecting criticism from both China and France.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the agreement wasn’t aimed toward China, although the us has mounting concerns about Chinese influence within the Indo-Pacific and regional analysts said the deal is clearly a response to Beijing’s growing strength.

“We don’t seek conflict with China,” Psaki told reporters.

The submarine agreement meant the scrapping of a $40 billion deal for conventional French-designed submarines, resulting in an angry response from France, which called it a “stab within the back.”

At the press conference U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called France a “vital partner” within the Indo-Pacific and said Washington would still cooperate with Paris, comments that appeared aimed toward calming French anger.

“We cooperate incredibly closely with France on many shared priorities within the Indo-Pacific but also beyond round the world. We’re getting to still do so. We place fundamental value thereon relationship, thereon partnership,” Blinken said.

Blinken said the us had been in-tuned with French counterparts within the last 24-48 hours to debate the new partnership with Australia.

Psaki said France was “aware in advance” of the deal.

French secretary of state Jean-Yves Le Drian accused U.S. President Joe Biden of acting like former U.S. President Trump, and called the U.S. move “brutal, unilateral and unpredictable.””I am angry and bitter. this is not done between allies,” he told franceinfo radio.

The French embassy in Washington confirmed a replacement York Times report that in protest, it had canceled a gala event on Friday commemorating the “240th Anniversary of the Battle of the Capes,” and France’s top military officer , who had traveled to Washington for the event celebrating French in America’s war of independence, would return early to Paris.

Ambassador Philippe Etienne told CNN “we weren’t informed until we saw the primary news yesterday morning in Australia and also within the U.S.”

The nuclear-powered submarines will allow Australia to work throughout the region and for extended periods than those involved within the French deal, military analysts said.

Dutton said the nuclear-powered option France had was “not superior” thereto operated by Britain and therefore the us .

“In the top , the choice that we’ve made is predicated on what’s within the best interest of our national security, and … security and peace within the Indo-Pacific,” he said

Dutton said there would be more bilateral exercises “and greater combined exercise engagement with partners within the region.”