With a new security pact, Australia, the United States and Great Britain are increasingly opposing China's expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
Among other things, the alliance will enable Australia, with the help of the two partner countries, to gain access to nuclear-powered submarines for the first time.
American President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared at a press conference on Wednesday evening that the pact should ensure peace and stability in the long term.
The Australian government spoke of at least eight nuclear submarines expected to be built in Adelaide.
The three heads of government announced that they would start planning in the next 18 months.
All three pointed out that the submarines will not be equipped with nuclear weapons.
"These are conventional submarines that are powered by nuclear power," said American President Biden.
London is hoping for new jobs
Nuclear powered submarines have a greater range and can stay underwater for longer than conventionally powered submarines. This means that in the future Australians will be able to travel undiscovered in controversial sea areas such as the South China Sea. Conventionally operated submarines are "in view of the rapid changes in the regional security architecture no longer suitable for our operational needs," said a statement from the Australian government.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke up late Wednesday evening. In a statement, he praised the new “trilateral defense partnership” as “one of the most complex and technically demanding projects in the world”. Johnson stressed that the project “builds on the expertise that Britain has accumulated over decades”. He spoke of a "new opportunity to consolidate Britain's place as a leader in science and technology and to strengthen our national expertise". The new security partnership will "make the world a safer place and create jobs across the UK". British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also stressed this aspect on Thursday morning. The deal with Australia means "a boost for the British defense industry," said Wallace."We will all benefit from this collaboration."
According to observers, the Australians in particular are betting that the United States will continue to assume a leadership role in the Indo-Pacific and that the alliance with Washington will remain geopolitically decisive for Canberra. The fact that relations between Beijing and Canberra have deteriorated rapidly in recent years may also play a role. In response to Canberra's request for an investigation into the origins of the corona pandemic, China had taken economic penalties against Australia.