Britain to join the two nations in a security partnership in the Indo-Pacific region
The Australian and Chinese flags. Picture: REUTERS/ALY SONG
“We all recognise the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term,” said Biden. China’s US embassy reacted, however, by saying that countries “should not build exclusionary blocs targeting or harming the interests of third parties”.James Clapper a former director of US national intelligence, told CNN it was a bold step by Australia given its economy’s dependence on China, adding: “Clearly the Chinese will view this as provocative.”“I'll always applaud concrete steps to counter Beijing and this is one of them,” he said.
The partnership ends Australia’s 2016 deal with French shipbuilder Naval Group to build it a new submarine fleet worth $40bn to replace its more than two-decades-old Collins submarines, a spokesperson for Morrison told Reuters.“The analysis of the consequences of this sovereign Australian decision will be conducted with the Commonwealth of Australia in the coming days”, the company said in a statement.
Biden said the governments would now launch an 18-month consultation period “to determine every element of this program, from workforce, to training requirements, to production timelines” and to ensure full compliance with non-proliferation commitments.
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