Posted on Sep 16, 2021
China and France furious at new U.S. pact with Australia, Britain
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America’s new security alliance with Australia and Britain was always likely to be greeted with fury by China, the unspoken target of Washington’s latest effort to reinforce its influence in the region.
And it was. But the pact also incensed France, a longtime ally that felt its Indo-Pacific interests had been torpedoed by the submarine-centered agreement.
The French canceled a gala in Washington D.C. that was planned for Friday to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, a critical French naval victory that helped the colonists win the American Revolution, the French embassy confirmed.
At a news briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the pact “seriously undermined regional peace and stability, exacerbated the arms race and undermined international nuclear nonproliferation efforts.”
Zhao added that any regional alliance “should not target or harm the interests of third parties.”
And it was. But the pact also incensed France, a longtime ally that felt its Indo-Pacific interests had been torpedoed by the submarine-centered agreement.
The French canceled a gala in Washington D.C. that was planned for Friday to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, a critical French naval victory that helped the colonists win the American Revolution, the French embassy confirmed.
At a news briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the pact “seriously undermined regional peace and stability, exacerbated the arms race and undermined international nuclear nonproliferation efforts.”
Zhao added that any regional alliance “should not target or harm the interests of third parties.”
China and France furious at new U.S. pact with Australia, Britain
Posted from nbcnews.com
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
SSG John Oliver US/UK/AUS/CAN/NZ Eyes Only. My DIVO for Tactical Intelligence School was Royal Navy.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."In a briefing before Wednesday evening's announcement, a Biden administration official stressed that the pact “is not aimed at any one country."
But the AUKUS deal comes as the United States steps up its efforts to counter China.
It will allow Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology that the U.S. had only previously shared with Britain. The pact also allows for greater collaboration among the three countries on cyber capabilities and artificial intelligence, as well as in other areas.
It will also make Australia the seventh country in the world to have nuclear-powered submarines, after the U.S., Britain, France, China, India and Russia. Unlike those other countries, Australia does not have nuclear weapons.
“The U.S. has only ever shared this technology with the U.K., so the fact that Australia is now joining this club indicates that the United States is prepared to take significant new steps and break with old norms to meet the China challenge,” Sam Roggeveen, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said in a statement shared with NBC News.
Relations between Beijing and Canberra have been in a downward spiral, with the U.S. ally emerging as a key bulwark in the West’s efforts to combat China’s growing influence.
China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, has embarked on a trade war in return."
..."In a briefing before Wednesday evening's announcement, a Biden administration official stressed that the pact “is not aimed at any one country."
But the AUKUS deal comes as the United States steps up its efforts to counter China.
It will allow Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology that the U.S. had only previously shared with Britain. The pact also allows for greater collaboration among the three countries on cyber capabilities and artificial intelligence, as well as in other areas.
It will also make Australia the seventh country in the world to have nuclear-powered submarines, after the U.S., Britain, France, China, India and Russia. Unlike those other countries, Australia does not have nuclear weapons.
“The U.S. has only ever shared this technology with the U.K., so the fact that Australia is now joining this club indicates that the United States is prepared to take significant new steps and break with old norms to meet the China challenge,” Sam Roggeveen, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said in a statement shared with NBC News.
Relations between Beijing and Canberra have been in a downward spiral, with the U.S. ally emerging as a key bulwark in the West’s efforts to combat China’s growing influence.
China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, has embarked on a trade war in return."
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