The controversy over the AUKUS deal continues: Australia has responded to China, France has called its ambassadors in Canberra and Washington for consultations

The controversy and the crosses due to the announcement of the agreement AUKUS, between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom for the purchase of nuclear powered submarines, continues. In addition to criticism from China, France decided on Friday to summon its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations, because the agreement ruined a precedent between Canberra and Paris.

Australia responded to the indignation of China for the announcement of the purchase of several submarines nuclear powered committing to respect international law in the air and sea spaces claimed by the leaders of Beijing.

China has “a very important nuclear submarine construction program”, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison recalled this Friday in a radio interview 2 GB. “They have the right to make defense decisions in their national interest, and of course Australia and other countries have it tooHe said in response to criticism from Beijing.

China reacted harshly, calling the acquisition of these submarines “Extremely irresponsible” and a threat to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, he denounced that he was undermining international efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The new security pact between Australia, US and UK known as AUKUS and announced Wednesday by US President Joe Biden, also plans a close collaboration between Washington and Canberra on cyber defense and artificial intelligence.

“Stab in the back”

The announcement of the cooperation agreement not only outraged China, but also France, because it lost a military macro-contract, valued at 90 billion Australian dollars (approximately 65,000 million US dollars), for 12 motorized submarines, which was defined by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, from “Stab in the back.”

In this context, France called for consultations with its ambassadors in the United States and Australia for the “exceptional gravity” the announcement of a strategic partnership between Washington, London and Canberra, announced Jean-Yves Le Drian.

“At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately summon our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations.. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on September 15 by Australia and the United States, ”he said in a press release.

Hours later, the White House expressed regret over the call for consultations, but said The United States will seek to resolve the diplomatic dispute. “We’re sorry you took this step, We will continue to be committed in the coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done on other issues during our long alliance.Said a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Besides, France calls into question the open negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Australia to reach a trade agreement: “We have trade negotiations with Australia. I don’t see how we can trust the Australian partner”Declared the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, on Friday.

“The international relations are not about naivety or good feelings. The word, signing a contract is worth something. If we don’t trust anymore, we can’t move forward“, Estimated the French official.

Beaune further estimated that the United Kingdom evolves into a position of “junior partner” of the United States, despite the “Global Britain” strategy adopted after Brexit to guarantee the country’s international position.

Morrison defended himself by assuring that this information had been “transmitted directly to the president, the foreign minister and the defense secretary”, while he said he understood their “disappointment”.

The head of the Australian government has insisted in several interviews that his country responded to the current situation in the Asia-Pacific region, where territories were increasingly disputed and rivalries intensified.

Australia is “aware“From the capacity of Chinese nuclear submarines and Beijing’s increased military spending,” he told the channel. Canal Sept.

“We want to make sure that international waters remain international, and international skies remain international, and that the law also applies to all such sites“he claimed.

Canberra wants to ensure that there are no “no-go zones” where international law reigns, the prime minister said. “It’s very important for commerce, for things like laying submarine cables, for airplanes and the space in which they can fly. This is the order we must preserve, this is what the peace and stability give us“, Held.

Trade tensions

However, the main motivation for the new agreement is the growing weight of China. The Asian giant claims the sovereignty of much of the South China Sea, very rich in natural resources and through which goods valued in the billions of dollars transit each year.

It also rejects the territorial claims of other countries in the region, such as Vietnam, Malaysia or the Philippines.

China has been accused of deploying anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles in this strategic area, which constitutes a violation of a ruling by an international tribunal which ruled in 2016 that Beijing had no “historic rights” over the South China Sea.

Trade and political tensions between Beijing and Canberra have grown steadily over the past three years. On the one hand, Beijing has imposed severe economic sanctions on Australian products in various sectors, while, on the other hand, Canberra rejected Chinese investments in areas considered sensitive and have publicly called for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.

Morrison explained that The new alliance is the result of more than 18 months of negotiations with Washington and London and it will be permanent.

“This is a very important commitment, not just for today, but forever. That’s why I call it the Eternal Partnership, the one that will keep Australia safe in the future, ”he said.

(With information from AFP)

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