The US and Australian defense ministers agreed on cooperation to counter China’s military moves in the region.
During a meeting on December 5 in Washington, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles expressed agreement on “dealing with the destabilizing military activities of China”.
This meeting is part of the US-Australia ministerial consultations taking place on December 6.
On December 7, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace will travel to Washington to meet with his US and Australian counterparts. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between the ministers of the three countries under the AUKUS security agreement.
A defense technology group from Australia, the US, and the UK has been formed to provide Canberra’s nuclear-powered submarine technology.
The AUKUS meeting comes as the three countries have until next March to decide whether Australia’s fleet will use US or British technology, as well as the route for Canberra’s fleet.
Australia says it needs nuclear-powered submarines with long-range and stealth capabilities. They will carry conventional weapons.
A US Department of Defense report on China released last week suggested that Beijing appeared to have made a diplomatic effort to get AUKUS canceled. According to the Pentagon, China “incorrectly defines AUKUS as a nuclear proliferation activity”.
Canberra says the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to which Australia is a signatory does not ban nuclear-powered weapons.
A statement released after the meeting between the two ministers emphasized that Australia and the US would strengthen defense cooperation, including technology cooperation.
China is Australia’s largest trading partner and top export market for iron ore, but Canberra has grown increasingly concerned about Beijing’s moves in the South Pacific after it signed a security pact with China. Solomon Islands this year.
Australian diplomats said a meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month at the G20 was a step towards normalizing relations but would not bring about a change in politics. Canberra’s Defense Book.
