The US and UK are facing growing international criticism over a new security pact signed with Australia. The deal – which is seen as an effort to counter China – will see the US and UK give Australia the technology they need to build nuclear-powered submarines.
However, this move as angered France, which said it had been “stabbed in the back” while China accused the three countries of having a “Cold War mentality”. The pact has raised fears that it could provoke China into a war.
The pact, knows as Aukus, was announce by US President Joe Biden, UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Australia prime minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday. While China was not mentioned, Aukus is widely being viewed as an effort to counter Beijing’s influence in the contested China Sea. Mr. Johnson later said that the agreement was “not intended to be adversarial” to China.
Washington has sought to quell anger in Paris caused by the pact, which has scuppered a multibillion-dollar submarine deal that France had signed with Australia.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called the announcement a “stab in the back”. He called it a “brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision” that reminded him of former president Donald Trump. French diplomats in Washington cancelled a gala to celebrate ties between the US and France in retaliation.
Sources: BBC
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