Aukus: Rishi Sunak in US to finalize defence pact

• The 2021 Aukus accord attempts to address the three countries.
• The meeting between US President and the Australian Prime Minister is likely to result in an agreement.
• Mr. Sunak will also announce the UK’s new integrated review of defense and foreign policy.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will fly to California to discuss important elements of a new defence pact with his Australian and American counterparts.

The 2021 Aukus accord attempts to address what the three countries regard as China’s threat in the Indo-Pacific area.

China branded the pact “very irresponsible” at the time.

The meeting between US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is likely to result in an agreement to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

Speaking ahead of the discussions in San Diego, Mr. Sunak said the UK’s worldwide alliances were “our greatest source of strength and security”.

On the tour, Mr. Sunak will also announce the UK’s new integrated review of defense and foreign policy, which has been updated in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr. Sunak said the assessment will represent “the future we want to deliver” to the UK – “safe, prosperous and standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners”.

The intentions to finalize the fundamental provisions of the Aukus (Australia-United Kingdom-United States) deal come amid tense diplomatic relations between the West and China.

Downing Street recently mentioned the “increasingly alarming behavior of the Chinese Communist Party,” and a former chief of MI6 recently stated that the UK must “wake up” to the threat presented by China’s challenges to global security.

Meanwhile, the United States and China remain at odds on topics such as Taiwan, China’s militarization of the South China Sea, and the origins of Covid-19. Furthermore, the spy balloon scandal has recently heightened tensions between the superpowers.

Beijing has acknowledged that China-US ties have “seriously deviated”. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang stated the diplomatic crisis caused by the balloon incident might have been averted but the US acted with “the presumption of guilt”.

After the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, and Russia, Australia will become only the seventh country in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines.

The plan is for nuclear submarines to be built in Adelaide, South Australia, with the UK and US contributing technology consultation.

The UK hopes that the Aukus accord will result in employment for UK shipyards, with sources claiming that Canberra may choose to build a modified version of the British Astute-class submarine while receiving up to five US Virginia-class submarines throughout the development stage.

In addition to submarines, the treaty commits the three countries to exchange information and technology in areas ranging from intelligence and quantum technology to the acquisition of cruise missiles.

But, the signing of the agreement created a dispute with France, which lost a contract with Australia to build 12 submarines.

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