Australia did not make assurances to US over Taiwan: Defense Minister

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Mar 2023 18:50

The Australian Defense Minister claims the primary intent of nuclear-powered submarines is to make a contribution to the stability of the region.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles (Reuters)

The Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles on Sunday pointed out that Australia has made no promises to the United States that it would support it in any future conflict over Taiwan in exchange for US nuclear-powered submarines.

Last week, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced during a meeting on a US naval base in San Diego, California, that Australia would obtain nuclear-powered attack submarines from the US and later build a new model with US and British technology under a plan to strengthen the AUKUS Western alliance across the Asia-Pacific against rising China.

Australian skeptics of the agreement contend that the US would not provide Australia with five Virginia-class submarines without guarantees that they would be accessible in the event of a confrontation with China over Taiwan.

Marles claimed that his government did not make assurances to Washington over Taiwan.

"Absolutely not, and I couldn’t be more unequivocal than that," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s Insiders news program on Sunday.

Similar to the US, Australia has a policy of "strategic ambiguity", avoiding revealing how it would respond to an alleged Chinese attack on Taiwan.

Since 1951, the two countries have shared a bilateral defense treaty that obliges them to consult each other if either comes under attack.

"Nuclear-powered submarines have obviously the capacity to operate in the context of war, but the primary intent here is to make our contribution to the stability of the region," the Australian diplomat indicated.

It is noteworthy that former Australian Prime Ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull are among those who wonder how Australia can preserve its sovereignty while heavily relying on American technology and military personnel under the submarine agreement.

On its part, China has constantly warned that AUKUS risked setting off an arms race and accused the three countries of setting back nuclear nonproliferation efforts.

"We urge the US, the UK and Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, honor international obligations in good faith and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning told journalists in Beijing.