For all latest articles, follow on Google NewsOn 15 September 2021, a new coalition called AUKUS emerged. US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the alliance to the world through a joint statement at a virtual conference. Here is the full form of AUKUS – Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States are naturally the three countries that are members of AUKUS.
What is AUKUS?
AUKUS is a trilateral defense strategic alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. AUKUS was formed on September 15, 2021. The alliance initially focused on building nuclear-powered submarines. Besides, these three countries will work together in the Indo-Pacific region and try to increase their presence even more than before. It is said that three countries: Australia, United Kingdom and the United States have formed this new alliance AUKUS to ensure security and development and protect values in the Indo-Pacific region.
China has strongly criticized the historic security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. China has termed the agreement to form the ‘Ocas’ as ‘extremely irresponsible’ and ‘narrow-minded’. France says the deal is a ‘stab in the back’.
Why was AUKUS formed?
Officially, the purpose of forming AUKUS is to ensure integrated security and development in the Indo-Pacific region as well as the protection of values. Under the AUKUS agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom will provide technology to Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines. Experts claim that one thing is certain here, and that is to prevent China’s growing influence in the disputed South China Sea.
Tensions between China and Australia
With the AUKUS deal, Australia has become an adversary of China on paper. Past events show that Australia has always been against China in keeping with the United States; Again, through the Quad Dialogue, Australia was identified as an opponent of China, but that was an informal matter. But this time, the United States has put Australia against China on paper. But this China is one of Australia’s commercial trusts. While China and Australia have very good relations, disputes between the two countries have been increasing in recent years.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) says that Australia’s (Australia and China) political relationship has broken down over China’s Uyghur (Uyghur) situation, the banning of some of the telecom company Huawei’s technology and support for the United States in investigating the coronavirus pandemic. The BBC report also said that the West has also become concerned about China’s massive increase in infrastructure investment in the Pacific region. They were also angry about some of China’s business decisions. For example, last year, China increased the tax on Australian wine up to 200 percent. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US stands for Australia’s self-defense against China.
France is angry about Acas
Australia had a deal with France to build 12 diesel-electric powered submarines worth $50 billion. Now that the United States will provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia through the AUKUS agreement, Australia has canceled this $50 billion deal with France. Naturally, France is supposed to be angry.
On September 16, 2021, a report by Al-Jazeera stated that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said of Acaus, “This is truly a stab in the back.”
France had certainly built a relationship of trust with Australia but AUKUS betrayed that trust with the AUKUS Treaty; The French foreign minister made similar comments. The European Union (European Union) has admitted that the statement of the Foreign Minister of France is justified. The European Union has said that it understands the reason for France’s anger but that there were no talks with them before the agreement named AUKUS.
What is the difference between AUCA and ANZUS?
The Australia, New Zealand and United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) established in 1951 is a non-binding agreement on integrated security, which deals with cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. However, it does not contain any use of nuclear energy. On the other hand, increasing cooperation in the Pacific region has started with the commitment to increase nuclear power. This atomic force is the main difference between Aukas and Anjus. New Zealand appears to have been excluded from the new alliance as it has banned nuclear power for military purposes, but there has been no official statement on this.
