AUKUS: Nuclear-powered submarines give Australia US and Britain a look at China

The United States, which seeks to strengthen alliances in all directions to build a front against China’s growing influence, announced yesterday a broad security partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom in the Indo-Pacific area, which may undermine French aspirations in the region.

«The first major initiative of this (new pact bearing the name) AUKUS“It will be the delivery of a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a teleconference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden, who hosted the conference.

Following this spectacular announcement, which will bring the US to share a particularly sensitive technology, Australia will have to cancel, according to the Australian press, a giant order of tens of billions of euros worth of conventional submarines from France, which the president Emanuel Macron is committed to defending himself.

And It is not certain that Paris will be comforted by the reassuring statements made by Biden, who yesterday assured that the United States wants to “work closely with France”. in this very important strategic zone.

Paris is “a key partner” of the United States, the US president said.

“The United Kingdom, Australia and the United States will be even more closely linked, which reflects the level of trust between us and the depth of our friendship,” said Boris Johnson, who marks a diplomatic success in his strategy for avoiding international isolation of Britain after Brexit.

Underwater

“Based on the common naval history of our democracies, we are committed to a common ambition to support Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines,” the joint statement of the three partners said.

«The only country with which the United States has ever shared this nuclear propulsion technology is with Great Britain“Since 1958,” a senior White House official said earlier. “This is a fundamental decision, a fundamental one. It will bind Australia, the United States and Great Britain for generations. “

There was no mention in China yesterday of either the verbal statements or the announcement of “peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region”, but there is no doubt that the new alliance is aimed primarily at regional aspirations. Beijing.

Joe Biden reiterates after his election that he intends to confront China, politics and his predecessor, Donald Trump, but in a very different way, and not necessarily in frontal confrontation.

Yesterday, he said he wanted to “invest in our greatest source of strength, our alliances” and that he wanted to “upgrade them to better meet the threats of today and tomorrow”.

The “contract of the century” with France under threat

The US president will also receive the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan on September 24 in Washington with the aim of reviving the so-called Quad, the informal quadripartite alliance of the US, Australia, Japan and India, which is considered to have to counter China’s growing power and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

But yesterday’s announcement, despite Biden’s cautious remarks, risks another alliance with France, if Australia denounces what is sometimes referred to as the “contract of the century” for the French defense industry.

A framework agreement signed in 2016 by Australia, but which is facing difficulties, provides for the construction of 12 fire-fighting attack submarines, designed by the French submarines Barracuda.

The total cost of the project, for which the French shipbuilding group is responsible, is A $ 50 billion (€ 31 billion).

The group that specializes in the shipbuilding defense industry expressed its “great disappointment” yesterday Wednesday.

During an interview with Australian Prime Minister Morrison in mid-June, Emanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s “full commitment” to abide by its part of the convention.