Washington: The new trilateral security alliance AUKUS is not about any one country but aimed at advancing the strategic interests of the US, Britain and Australia and upholding the international rules-based order while promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, the White House has said.
The US, Britain, and Australia on Wednesday announced the AUKUS alliance for the Indo-Pacific to take on the threats of the 21st century and allow for greater sharing of defence capabilities, including help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, in a bid to counter China’s growing power in the strategically vital region.
Unveiling the ambitious security initiative virtually, US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison in a joint statement said their move will promote stability in the Indo-Pacific and support of their shared values and interests.
“This partnership announced yesterday is not about any one country. This is about advancing our strategic interests, the strategic interest of the United States, upholding the international rules-based order, and promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Thursday.
Also read: US, Britain & Australia announce new trilateral Indo-Pacific alliance ‘AUKUS’
China’s take on AUKUS
Psaki was responding to a question on the Chinese reaction to the alliance. China on Thursday sharply criticised the trilateral alliance, saying such grouping has no future and will gravely undermine regional stability and aggravate the arms race and hurt international non-proliferation efforts.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said: To form an exclusive and closed clique or small group goes against the trend of the times and the aspiration of regional countries.
The relevant countries should abandon the obsolete Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow-minded geopolitical concept, respect regional people’s aspirations and do more things conducive to regional peace, stability and development, Zhao said.
I would note that the United Kingdom and Australia also have a long history as the United States of upholding the international rules-based order, Psaki said.
So, our hope is that the three countries who have consistently worked with regional supporters to support a secure and stable, and peaceful Indo-Pacific can now work together to do exactly that. As it relates to China, we welcome stiff competition with the PRC (People’s Republic of China), she said.
We do not seek conflict. Obviously, the president spoke with President Xi just a few days ago, and certainly, we are committed to maintaining an open high-level dialogue between the leaders, Psaki said.
Also read: Modi, Biden agree on Indo-Pacific but not so much on Quad, democratic values & Myanmar
‘Stab in the back’
France, an ally of the United States, has also expressed its outrage at the AUKUS alliance.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reportedly expressed total incomprehension at the announcement of the initiative, terming it really a stab in the back and an initiative that looks a lot like what Trump did.
I would first say that we value our relationship and our partnership with France on a variety of issues facing the global community, whether it’s economic growth or whether it’s the fight against COVID, or addressing security throughout the world. That has been a longstanding partnership for many, many years, Psaki said.
France will lose a nearly USD 100 billion deal to build diesel submarines for Australia under the terms of the new AUKUS initiative, which will see the US and UK help Australia construct nuclear-powered ones.
I would leave it, of course, to our Australian partners to describe why they sought this new technology, and why they pursued this technology from the United States. As you know, part of their issue is that there was a purchase of technology that Australia had made with the French, but we’ll let Australia speak to that and why they or why they purchased this technology, Psaki said.
We cooperate closely with France. As the president said yesterday, we have a range of shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific, and that will certainly continue. We don’t see this from our end as a regional divide. We see these as areas and security issues that we want to take on together, Psaki said.
Also read: Australia kept India informed on AUKUS & assured strategic support, says high commissioner
Strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific
Responding to a question, Psaki said that the United States government’s focus is on what steps it can take to increase security in the Indo-Pacific.
There is a range of countries that could pose a threat and we’ll let an outside analysis give their analysis, she said.
The announcement of AUKUS has come a week before a meeting of Quad leaders to be hosted by US President Biden in Washington on September 24. The meeting will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Australia Morrison, and Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga.
The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China’s increasing military muscle-flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. The US has been favouring making Quad a security architecture to check China’s growing assertiveness.
In November 2017, India, Japan, the US, and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.
Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
China has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both maritime areas in the South and East China seas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil, and other natural resources and are also vital to global trade.—PTI
Also read: Why India could gain ‘major leverage’ as Australia, UK, US join hands to take on China