How worldreacted to Australia's nuclear submarine decision
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By Richard Wood • SeniorJournalist
Thediplomatic ripples from Australia's decision to acquire nuclearpowered submarines have been felt across theworld.
Thenew AUKUS alliance between Australia, the US and the UK announced last week is expected to deliver an Australianfleet of at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.
Thedefence agreement marks a major pivot by the three powers towards the IndoPacific region and the rising power of China.
US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime MinisterScott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the AUKUSdeal in a virtual conference last week. (AP)
Butit has received a mixed welcome across the world - with France angry after theAustralian Government cancelled the $90 billion contract for majoritystate-owned French company Naval Group to build 12 conventional diesel-electricsubmarines.
Belowis a summary of global reaction to AUKUS.
France: 'Stab in the back'
Francefeels not just disappointed but betrayed and deceived, with officialsunleashing tirades against Australia and the US.
FrenchForeign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Saturday denounced what he called the"duplicity, disdain and lies" surrounding the sudden end of thecontract and said France was now questioning the strength of the alliance.
Speakingon France Info, the French state broadcaster, Mr Le Drian used the phrase"stab in the back". Newspaper LeParisien saidlast week "in 48 hours, the 'contract of the century' has become thecommercial snub of the century", while French business weekly Challenges, said the scrappingof the submarine deal was "a knife blow to the heart, that no one inFrance saw coming".
An artist impression of Naval Group's FutureSubmarines. The deal has now been scrapped by Australia leaving France fuming.(Naval Group) (Naval Group)
Muchof the French anger came from the city of Cherbourg in northern France - wherethe Naval Group manufacturing site is based. It stands to lose hundreds ofjobs.
InBrussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell echoed the French minister'scomplaints. "I suppose that an agreement of this nature was not cooked upthe day before yesterday. It takes a certain amount of time, and despite that,no, we were not consulted," he said. "That obliges us, once again …to reflect on the need to put European strategic autonomy high on theagenda."
US: 'This is how global diplomacyworks'
USofficials have brushed aside the French complaints about AUKUS.
"Thereare a range of partnerships that include the French and some partnerships thatdon't, and they have partnerships with other countries that don't includeus," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Speakingalongside Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Washington, US Secretary of StateAnthony Blinken said there "is no regional divide" with Europe overIndo-Pacific strategy.
"Wewelcome European countries playing an important role in the Indo-Pacific,"he said, calling France a "vital partner."
Buthow closely they will work together remains to be seen.
Justthree months ago, on his first visit to Europe as president, Mr Biden washailed as a hero by European counterparts eager to move beyond thetrans-Atlantic tensions of the Trump years.
UK hails 'strong security ties'
Incontrast to France, British politicians have welcomed AUKUS and the move byAustralia to acquire nuclear submarines with UK expertise.
BritishPrime Minister Boris Johnson said the new alliance would allow the threenations to sharpen their focus on an increasingly complicated part of theworld.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the AUKUSdeal was about taking hard headed decisions. (Nine)
Newly-appointedForeign Secretary Liz Truss said it showed the UK's readiness to be"hard-headed" in defending its interests.
MsTruss, writing in the UK Sunday Telegraph, said the partnership showed the UK'scommitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Shewrote: "Freedoms need to be defended, so we are also building strongsecurity ties around the world."
China: 'Cold war mentality'
Whilethe Chinese government's reaction to the AUKUS deal was strongly disapproving,it was nothing compared to a blisteringly aggressive editorial published bystate-run tabloid the Global Times last week.
Thenationalistic tabloid warned if war broke out in Taiwan or the South China Sea"military targets in Australia will inevitably become a target hit byChinese missiles."
"Australianstroops are also most likely to be the first batch of Western soldiers to wastetheir lives in the South China Sea," the paper said.
China has vented its fury atAustralia's nuclear submarine deal (9News)
China'sForeign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the move "gravely underminesregional peace and stability," and "aggravates" the arms race.
MrZhao warned the nation would "only end up hurting their own interests"if they didn't abandon the "cold war mentality".
Asia Pacific: Mixed reactions
Malaysiahas warned the AUKUS deal could spark a renewed arms race in the region,Reuters reports.
PrimeMinister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he he had raised concerns about the projectwith Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and warned that the nuclear submarineproject might heighten military tensions in Asia.
Butother Asia Pacific nations have responded more warmly.
Japan'sForeign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi praised the AUKUS deal.
The dentist nightmare, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said hergovernment did not expect an invitation to join the AUKUS defencepact.. (Getty)
Andthe Philippines defence ministry issued a statement saying Australia had everyright to boost its defences.
Australia'sANZUS partner New Zealand, with its a longstanding nuclear-free policy thatincludes a ban on nuclear-powered ships entering its ports, is not part of thedeal.
PrimeMinister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand wasn't asked to be part of thealliance and wouldn't have expected an invitation.
