He did not discuss the new security partnership "in any specific terms," the senior U.S. And his first foreign trip in June to the Group of Seven and NATO was also focused on the economic and security threats posed by China.įor only the second time since taking office, Biden spoke last week to Chinese President Xi Jinping. He invited leaders of Japan and South Korea as the first two foreign leaders to visit the White House in person earlier this year. "We have always seen the world through a similar lens," Morrison said, mentioning values such as freedom, human dignity, the rule of law and the independence of sovereign states.īiden is set to meet in person at the White House next week with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia - what's known as the "Quad." (Biden later acknowledged the acronym, pronounced AWK-us, "sounds strange.") "AUKUS is born," Morrison proclaimed, using the acronym for the group. The announcement began with a video featuring a montage of historical images, and stirring music, voiced by an Australian narrator. "As the only European nation present in the Indo-Pacific with nearly two million citizens and more than 7,000 military personnel, France is a reliable partner that will continue to fulfill its commitments, as it has always done," they said.īiden earlier on Wednesday had said France already had a key presence in the Indo-Pacific region and "is a key partner and ally in strengthening the security and prosperity of the region."Īustralia's prime minister will visit next week "The American choice to exclude a European ally and partner such as France from a structuring partnership with Australia, at a time when we are facing unprecedented challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, whether in terms of our values or in terms of respect for multilateralism based on the rule of law, shows a lack of coherence that France can only note and regret," said a joint statement by France's minister for Europe and foreign affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly. Politics For Biden, China Rivalry Adds Urgency To Infrastructure Pushįrance, meanwhile, said it was disappointed by its exclusion from the pact, calling Australia's decision to suspend its previous Franco-Australian submarine program "contrary to the letter and spirit" of the two nations' cooperation. "Only a handful of countries possess nuclear-powered submarines, and it is a momentous decision for any nation to acquire this formidable capability," he said. Johnson said the initiative would create jobs in the United Kingdom, saying the project would last for decades. Morrison said the fleet would be built in Adelaide, Australia. There has been only one other time that the United States has shared what a senior administration official described to reporters as "extremely sensitive" submarine propulsion technology - more than 60 years ago, back in 1958, with Great Britain. "These are conventionally armed submarines that are powered by nuclear reactors." It's the first time the U.S. "I want to be exceedingly clear about this: We're not talking about nuclear-armed submarines," Biden said. The leaders emphasized that the nuclear-powered submarines would be conventionally armed. Politics Biden And Xi Jinping Speak For The 1st Time In Months Amid Fraying U.S.-China Ties "We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve, because the future of each of our nations and indeed the world depends on a free and open Indo-Pacific, enduring and flourishing in the years ahead," Biden said. In recent years, tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea - a major shipping lane with oil and natural gas resources - have escalated, with China building military outposts on several small reclaimed islands.īiden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson talked about shared values and the need to secure peace and stability in the region as they appeared together, virtually, to make the announcement.īut none of them uttered the name of China, even as the United States and other regional partners have stepped up their military presence in the region, and the United States works toward reorienting its military posture toward the Indo-Pacific. national security and economic policy on the threat posed by China. The announcement comes as Biden tries to refocus U.S. In a rare step, President Biden announced on Wednesday that the United States plans to share its nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia as part of a new defense partnership with that country and the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also joined in. President Biden speaks to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday during the virtual announcement of a trilateral defense partnership with Australia and the U.K.
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