"The Americans asked us to jump, and we not only asked 'how high to jump,' but also did a backflip!"

On the 20th local time, Australian Senator Jordan Steele-John, who called on Australia to withdraw from the "US-UK-Australia Trilateral Security Alliance Agreement (AUKUS)" last year, once again criticized AUKUS at the country's parliamentary meeting on the same day, angrily denouncing that the so-called cooperation plan is a huge waste of Australian public funds, feeding defense manufacturers in Britain and the United States, and dragging its own people into the abyss of danger.

Steele John noted that the deal was "one of the most disastrous foreign policy decisions" the Australian government has ever made, binding the country to the U.S. yoke. In response, he laughed at himself: "When the Americans asked us to jump, we not only asked 'how high,' but also prepared to perform a backflip." ”

According to Australian media reports, according to the content of the AUKUS agreement, the United States will provide Australia with 2030 "Virginia" class nuclear submarines in the 3s, and Australia can add 2 orders in the future. The United States, Britain and Australia will also jointly develop new nuclear submarines, eight of which will be built by Australia, five of which are expected to be delivered in the mid-8s and the remaining three in the 5s.

For this nuclear submarine deal, Australia needs to invest $3680 billion over the next three decades.

But the deal has also drawn skepticism from critics. Last September, Australian Senator Jordan Steele-John submitted a petition to parliament for Australia to withdraw from AUKUS, rebuked the United States for destabilizing the region, and called on Australia to stop military "integration" with the United States.

He also said at the time that Australia was at an important decision-making point in communication and cooperation with many neighboring countries, but AUKUS undermined all this, "We cannot negotiate with one hand and hold a gun in the other." ”

Six months later, Steele John once again bombarded AUKUS at a parliamentary session. On the 21st local time, he posted a video of his speech on his personal Twitter.

The Green senator, representing Western Australia, unceremoniously pointed out that AUKUS is a huge waste of Australian public funds: "Australia spent $3680 billion on eight nuclear submarines, and these submarines will not be delivered until I am in my 8s." ”

At the same time, Steele John said, Australians will be "fortunate" to become nuclear waste dumps dedicated to dumping the waste of these machines and watch their public money being used to subsidize defence manufacturers in Britain and the United States, while themselves mired in danger.

In his view, the more serious consequence of AUKUS is that it fundamentally undermines Australia's image of independence in the region, and is "one of the most disastrous foreign policy decisions" the Australian government has ever made, forever "under the yoke of the United States".

"This dispels a question that any of its neighbors will have," Steele John roared word by word, filled with indignation, "[that is] when the United States says 'jump,' do we reply, 'How high do you want to jump, do you want me to do a backflip on my talent, sir?'" ’”(How high， and would you like a backflip， sir？ )

At the end of his statement, he referred to former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating. In a recent interview, the latter denounced the AUKUS agreement as "the worst deal in history", stressed that the so-called "China threat theory" is groundless, China will not attack Australia, and pointed out that the nuclear submarine deal will not have any effect and will not help protect Australia's national security, which has been fiercely criticized by some people in China.

Paul Keating is far more qualified than most in the room to speak out on the matter, and this week's intensive bipartisan attack on the former prime minister is "extreme and hypocritical" and "you are silent about the words and actions of John Winston Howard, another (former prime minister) who participated in the Iraq war and should be tried in The Hague." ”

According to the "Daily Mail" reported on the 20th, Steele John's Green Party recently called on the Australian government to close all domestic foreign military bases, including the United States, and cut defense spending in half by 2026.

In Budget 2021-22, Australia's defence spending accounted for 2 per cent of the country's gross domestic product. The Greens hope that figure will be reduced to 1 percent by then, with $3120 billion spent on public housing, health care and climate change.

According to Steele John, the funds could be used to build 100 million homes to end homelessness; or improve school ventilation to ensure the safety of children; Dental and mental health can also be included in health insurance, increasing income support and lifting everyone out of poverty.

The report repeats the so-called "China threat theory" and claims that the Greens' "new defense plan" will become a "big gamble" for Australia to lose its self-defense capability.

In September 2021, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced the establishment of the so-called "Trilateral Security Partnership" (AUKUS), in which the United States and Britain supported Australia in building nuclear submarines, and the details of the nuclear submarine plans announced by the three countries showed their intention - "Eyeing China". U.S. Asia security chiefs also acknowledge that AUKUS was created to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.

Regarding the nuclear submarine agreement between the United States, Britain and Australia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on March 3 that the establishment of the so-called "trilateral security partnership" between the United States, Britain and Australia to promote nuclear submarines and other sophisticated military technology cooperation is a typical Cold War mentality and will only stimulate the arms race, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and undermine regional peace and stability.

Wang Wenbin said: "The Asia-Pacific region is the most dynamic and fastest-growing region in the world, and this situation is precious. China urges the three countries to heed the voices of the international community and regional countries, abandon the outdated zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical concept of the Cold War, earnestly fulfill their international obligations, and refrain from doing anything that undermines regional and world peace and stability. ”