British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended an event at the Point Loma Naval Base in San Diego, California, where US President Joe Biden delivered a speech on the Australia, UK, United States (AUKUS) partnership.
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The AUKUS submarine program between Australia, Britain and the United States could help deter any Chinese actions against Taiwan, the U.S. State Department’s No. 2 diplomat said on Wednesday.
The project, announced by the three countries in 2023, involves Australia acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines as part of allies’ efforts to counter China’s growing power in the Indo-Pacific.
But the three countries have been reluctant to publicly link AUKUS to growing tensions over Taiwan, which China claims as its territory and a democratically governed island, Australia said no promises Support the United States in any military conflict over Taiwan.
In a rare link between Taiwan and AUKUS, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington that the new submarine capabilities would enhance peace and stability, including in the straits between China and Taiwan.
Campbell said AUKUS’s submarine capabilities “have a huge impact in all situations, including those on both sides of the Channel.”
He added: “I believe that working closely with other countries, not only in diplomacy but also in the field of defense, will have broader consequences of strengthening peace and stability.”
China calls the AUKUS deal dangerous and warns it could trigger a regional arms race.
U.S. President Joe Biden seeks to strengthen partnerships with Asian allies including Japan and the Philippines amid China’s historic military buildup and growing territorial assertiveness.
Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a summit in Washington on April 11, and will hold a bilateral summit with Fumio Kishida the day before.
Campbell said the meetings would mark a “massive modernization” of U.S.-Japan relations and more engagement between the three countries, including on the South China Sea. Washington has criticized the Chinese coast guard for using water cannons against Philippine ships near the disputed second sea area. Thomas Shoal.
“This will be an unprecedented trilateral engagement…you will see commitments from all three countries involving closer coordination and engagement in the South China Sea and elsewhere,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the summit with Japan would bring about a “historic” renewal of the security partnership and take steps “to enable greater cooperation between the United States and Japan in the joint development and potential co-production of important military and defense equipment,” Campbell said. .
Campbell said that on the Ukraine issue, the U.S. government assessed that China helped Moscow “reorganize” and Russia “almost completely reorganized its military” after early setbacks in the Ukraine war.
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