Aukus: UK, US and Australia Launch Pact to Counter China
Desk Report
Published: 16 Sep 2021, 12:33 pm
UK, US and Australia Launch Pact to Counter China || Photo: Collected
The UK,
US and Australia have announced a historic security pact in the Indo-Pacific,
in what's seen as an effort to counter China.
It will
let Australia build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using
technology provided by the US.
The
pact, to be known as Aukus, will also cover artificial intelligence, cyber and
quantum technologies.
It is
the biggest defence partnership among the countries in decades, analysts say.
In
recent years, the Western democracies have all expressed concerns about China's
growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
The new
partnership aimed to "promote security and prosperity" in the region,
said a joint statement by US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris
Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.
China's
embassy in Washington reacted by accusing the countries of a "Cold War
mentality and ideological prejudice".
The pact means Australia has torn up an A$50bn (€31bn; £27bn) deal it signed with France in 2016, to build 12 submarines. (BBC)