President Biden is set to meet with two of America’s closest allies, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in San Diego on Monday to announce a way forward for Australia to receive nuclear-powered submarines in Canberra’s biggest-ever defense purchase.
The announcement of a new security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines has triggered a strong reaction from China, which has accused the three countries of “exacerbating the arms race” and “undermining regional peace and stability”
The deal, dubbed AUKUS, is seen as a major strategic shift by Australia, which had previously contracted France to build 12 conventional submarines. The nuclear-powered submarines, which will be manufactured in the US with UK technology, are expected to trigger a new arms race in Asia-Pacific
The US nuclear submarine adventure will damages regional peace and stability, intensify the arms race, and undermines the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The deal also has implications for other countries in the region, such as Japan, South Korea, India and Indonesia, which may feel pressured to upgrade their own defense capabilities.
