US, Great Britain, Australia team up in move seen as provocative to China

United States President Joe Biden, Great Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a new alliance focused on the Indo-Pacific region Wednesday night. The video above includes clips from the announcement.

“We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve,” President Biden said. “The future of each of our nations and indeed the world depends on a free and open Pacific enduring and flourishing in the decades ahead.”

The alliance with Great Britain and Australia, dubbed AUKUS, will allow for greater sharing of defense capabilities. This includes helping equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

“I want to be exceedingly clear about this, we’re not talking about nuclear armed submarines,” Biden said. “These are conventionally armed submarines that are powered by nuclear reactors. This technology is proven, it’s safe in the United States and U.K. have been operating nuclear powered submarines for decades.”

None of the leaders mentioned China in their remarks. A senior Biden administration official even played down the idea the alliance between the U.S., Great Britain and Australia was meant to serve as a deterrent against China before the announcement.

“This partnership is not aimed or about any one country,” the official said. “It’s about advancing our strategic interests, upholding the international rules-based order, and promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

However, the alliance is likely to be seen as a provocative action against Beijing.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the alliance between the U.S., Great Britain and Australia, saying it “severely damages regional peace and stability, intensifies the arms race, and jeopardizes the international efforts in promoting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

“The U.S. and U.K.’s action of exporting highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology once again proves that they are using nuclear exports as a tool for geopolitical games and adapts double standards,” Zhao Lijian said. “This is a highly irresponsible act.”

The senior Biden administration officials said in addition to Great Britain and Australia, the alliance will eventually include New Zealand, France and others. Despite this, French officials were not happy with the announcement.

“It is really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed and I’m angry today, with a lot of bitterness, about this breach (of contract),” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. “This is not done between allies, especially when there’s been two years of negotiations for this contract.”