US President Joe Biden has warned of "rapidly evolving threats" in the Indo-Pacific region and announced a new security pact with Australia and Great Britain. The US government wants to enable its ally Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, Biden announced on Wednesday afternoon. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were also involved in his statement in Washington. The initiative is a "historic step" for the partners USA, Great Britain and Australia.
“We're not talking about nuclear armed submarines.
These are conventional submarines that are powered by nuclear power, ”emphasized Biden.
"We have to be able to deal with both the current strategic environment in the region and its possible developments," he said.
An open and free Indo-Pacific region is crucial for the future and must endure.
"We have to take our partnership to a new level"
The Australian Prime Minister Morrison said: "In order to master these challenges and to ensure the security and stability that our region needs, we must take our partnership to a new level." The US government and Australia see China's increasing claim to power in the Indo-Pacific with concern.
However, Biden, Morrison and Johnson did not mention China by name.
"The aim is to work hand in hand to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific," stressed British Prime Minister Johnson.
It is one of the most complex and technically demanding projects in the world that will stretch over decades and require the most advanced technology.
Australia is a "related nation" with which to share this technology, Johnson said.
China's embassy in Washington condemned the security pact.
Countries should “not form an exclusive bloc that targets or harms the interests of third parties.
In particular, they should abandon their Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices, ”Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said when asked by Reuters.
According to the US, the partnership also provides for cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum technology and cyber issues.
It is not directed against a particular country.