British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday was scheduled to visit San Diego, California, to meet US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as the three nations unveil the next phase of the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, a security partnership intended to counter China.
The decision on how to move ahead is to be announced today when the three leaders meet.
The plan could take years to produce its first vessel, probably necessitating stopgap measures, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Photo: AFP
The US might base nuclear submarines in Australia or sell the country Virginia-class submarines in the interim.
Australia’s new nuclear submarines have been planned on a modified British design with US parts and upgrades, the sources said.
Ahead of the announcement, the UK is planning an update to its 2021 Integrated Review of defense and security to set out its response to increased global volatility.
It is to address “increasingly concerning behavior” by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the “grave risks” posed by Russia after a renewed assault on Ukraine, and “hybrid threats” to the British economy and energy security, Sunak’s office said.
“In turbulent times, the UK’s global alliances are our greatest source of strength and security,” Sunak said in a statement.
“I am traveling to the United States today to launch the next stage of the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, a project which is binding ties to our closest allies and delivering security, new technology and economic advantage at home,” he said.
The UK has said the deal, the first time the US has shared its nuclear-propulsion technology since it did so with Britain in the 1950s, would help create new jobs in Britain and boost sluggish economic growth.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) on Thursday criticized the plan, telling reporters in Beijing that the three countries should “do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability.”
Center for Strategic and International Studies senior adviser Charles Edel described the AUKUS pact as a calculated gamble.
“It’s a bet that by further integrating industrial capacities and increasing interoperability it will significantly augment the capabilities of our allies, make them more powerful, and ultimately change Beijing’s calculations about its security environment,” Edel said.
“It will help stabilize a region that has been badly destabilized by China’s rapid expansion of military capabilities and increasingly aggressive foreign policy,” he said.
Additional reporting by The Guardian
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