What does the silence of Boris Johnson and Joe Biden on AUKUS Collaboration mean for the world? Is it a betrayal for Scott Morrison?
Recently, it’s been in news a lot about the AUKUS ruckus. The whole Global News section is filled with AUKUS collaboration of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In order to get our answer, we need to know that basically what is this AUKUS? And what is this ruckus all about?
AUKUS is a trilateral(3 country) internal security pact between Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States. It is a collaboration of 3 major Naval forces countries in order to fight China primarily to continue their control over the Indo-Pacific corridor. Since China has possession of nuclear submarines and also submarines that are able enough to launch nuclear missiles. China has been dominating in the Indo-Pacific corridor after the Covid Pandemic. It was announced on the 15th of September, exactly 10 days ago. It was announced by Scott Morrison along with Joe Biden(USA) and Boris Johnson(UK). The country heads didn’t mention the name of the country for which they made this alliance in order to tackle it but some sources from the White House anonymously alleged that it is against China. In this deal, the USA and UK have agreed to help Australia develop nuclear technology along with France providing dozen of Diesel Submarine hence strengthing the Indo-Pacific country.
Although now today’s scenario seems to be awkward since France has canceled this $90.7 Billion deal by France recalling the ambassador to the U.S., Philippe Etienne, said the canceled submarine contract was “much more” than a business deal and was an essential part of his country’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
This deal was not only for providing nuclear assistance but also with military assistance and artificial intelligence and much more that we don’t know. After this deal cancels, it has developed fresh tensions because of China’s behavior of striking in the darkest phase of any country.
China has no tradition of operating either as a maritime power or in a system of coequal great powers. President Xi Jinping has institutionalized “wolf warrior” diplomacy, militarized the South China Sea, and become increasingly assertive in disputes with neighboring and offshore countries. Beijing seems to believe it can browbeat and intimidate the likes of Japan, India, and Australia into kowtowing to its demands. Its international reputation has also suffered from obfuscations and refusals to cooperate with genuinely independent investigations into the origins of COVID-19.
In a strongly worded response, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said AUKUS “greatly undermines regional peace and stability, aggravates (an) arms race, and hurts the international nonproliferation efforts.” He called on the three to “abandon the Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow-minded geopolitical concept.” In a language with echoes of Maoist China, the Global Times said by participating in “the U.S.-led strategic siege of China,” Australia has shown it “is still a running dog of the U.S.”
After such statements, this thing comes on the national honor of the country hence hurting the sentiments of people.
A French diplomat complained: “Just like Afghanistan, this new ‘America First’ opus is poorly conceived and even more poorly executed.” In decidedly strong undiplomatic language, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accused the three of “lying, duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt.”
France is the third NATO nuclear-armed power after the U.S. and the U.K., continental Europe’s sole nuclear-armed state and the only European nuclear power operating in the Pacific with territorial interests in the region.
France is also calling on the European Union to scuttle the 3-year old discussions on a free-trade agreement with Australia because of an Anglosphere betrayal of an EU member. The AUKUS allies will need to invest considerable diplomatic capital in efforts to assuage hurt sentiments and compensate damaged interests or risk the downside consequences of national grievance institutionalized in French national memory for many years.
