Australia’s prime ministerFriday’s announcement by President Francois Hollande stated that he is still committed to building a fleet U.S.-powered submarines, even though he called it a “confrontation against China.”
The previous Australian government infuriated President Emmanuel Macron last year by canceling a contract for a French-built fleet of conventionally-powered submarines worth $66 billion and opting instead for nuclear-powered versions in a deal secretly brokered with the United States and Britain.
Since May’s elections, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has supported the so-called AUKUS nuclear technology agreement. It is unclear whether Australia will adopt a version from the U.S. Virginia class or not. British Astute-class submarineAnnouncement will take place in March.
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“We are proceeding with the AUKUS arrangements, there’s nothing ambiguous about it,” Albanese told reporters at a Bangkok summit that Macron is also attending.
On Thursday, Macron criticised the AUKUS deal and told reporters that France had offered Australia diesel-electric subs, which could be independent maintained, in exchange for a reduction in nuclear energy.
Macron stated through an interpreter that “it was not in a conflict with China because those were not nuclear-powered subs.”
But Albanese’s predecessor Prime Minister Scott Morrison chose the “exact opposite: To enter into a confrontation by going nuclear,” Macron added.
When the AUKUS deal was announced in September last year, China’s foreign ministry condemned the export of Nuclear technology in the United StatesAs “highly irresponsible.” Some of Australia’s neighbors fear it could lead to an arms race in the region.
Albanese was asked if Australia was creating nuclear conflict with China. He replied, “President Macron is allowed to present his views, as well as he does in an extremely forthright manner.”
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“He’s entitled to make whatever comments he wants as the leader of France,” Albanese added.
Anthony Albanese (Australian Prime Minister) arrives in Bangkok, Thailand, for a meeting at the APEC summit, which took place on Nov. 18, 2022. Albanese stated that he plans to continue building submarines powered with U.S. nuclear technology.
(Diego Azubel/Pool Photo via AP)
Albanese said there was no animosity between the leaders and that they had “a very friendly exchange”, as they always do, when they met in Bangkok on Thursday night.
Last year, Macron accused Morrison of lying to him over the deal and refused to take the Australian leader’s phone calls for weeks after the contract for a dozen submarines was scrapped.
Macron said Thursday that the possibility of France providing submarines to Australia remained “on-the table.”
Albanese indicated that Australia continued to meet with France to discuss “how we could cooperate in defense.”
Australia could be facing a capability gap with the delivery of its first eight nuclear submarines delayed until 2040.
It has been suggested that Australia could receive a fleet of sub-diesel-electric diesel-electric subs from France.
Albanese’s newly elected government agreed in June to pay Naval Group is a French shipbuilderFor breaking the submarine contract, a $584 million compensatory was provided.
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Officials from the Australian Defense Department stated that the compensation was generous to cool French anger and strengthen security links between the South Pacific countries.
Albanese stated that AUKUS was not mentioned on Tuesday during his first bilateral meeting. Chinese President Xi Jinping.
