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Australia denies it recommitted to French submarine program just hours before AUKUS pact announcement

The Australian government has dismissed a French minister’s claims that Canberra had recommitted to the French submarine deal just hours before Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a nuclear submarine pact with the UK and US. On Thursday, an Australian Department of Defence official hit back after France’s Armed Forces Ministry spokesman Hervé Grandjean claimed on […]

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Asia-Pacific doesn’t need ‘submarines and gunpowder’ from AUKUS pact, Chinese Foreign Ministry says

The Asia-Pacific does not need “submarines and gunpowder,” a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry has said, slamming the trilateral pact between the US, UK, and Australia, dubbed AUKUS, as derailing peace in the region. Speaking on Wednesday, Zhao Lijian slammed the nuclear submarine deal between the three powers, stating that it has intensified the arms […]

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Manila backs controversial AUKUS security pact as move to fix ‘imbalance’ of power in Southeast Asia

Breaking with some of its neighbors, the Philippines welcomed the new security deal between Australia, the US and UK as beneficial to the Indo-Pacific region. The arrangement sparked a row with France and was criticized by China. In a statement released on Tuesday, Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said the country welcomed the recently announced […]

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‘Extremely irresponsible’: China slams new security pact between US, UK & Australia to arm Canberra with nuclear submarines

A new plan by the US, UK, and Australia to provide Canberra with nuclear-powered submarines undermines regional stability and intensifies the arms race, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said. US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Australian PM Scott Morrison announced the AUKUS initiative during a joint virtual event late on Wednesday. […]