a diplomatic row has broken out over a new defense and security partnership between Britain America and Australia deal will deliver nuclear-powered submarines to the Australian navy to promote stability in the indo-pacific region
which has come under increasing pressure from china Beijing said the pact was extremely irresponsible here’s our defense correspondent Jonathan Beale Britain’s making its mark in the pacific the royal navy’s
the new aircraft carrier has been flying the flag there on exercise with the u.s and allies proof of the increasing importance of the region and the focus for these new defense agreements
what is the threat china is the rising power in the region not just an economic giant but a military one to its armed forces are modernizing it now has the world’s largest navy staked its claim to oceans
fortifying islands well outside its own territorial waters this new pact announced in a carefully choreographed appearance by the leaders of Australia the UK and us is all about china even though
they didn’t mention it by name we all recognize the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the indo-pacific over the long term we need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region
and how it may evolve as to what is the pact it starts with sharing the most sensitive of stealth technology Britain and America will help Australia build a fleet of new nuclear-powered though not nuclear-armed
submarines the house will understand how Australia’s future possession of this capability will help to safeguard the peace and security of the indo-pacific so what’s the reaction this week London’s been
hosting one of the worlds largest arms fairs where there’s fierce competition for lucrative defense contracts the plan is to build this new fleet of submarines in Australia but the government here hopes
it will boost Britain’s defense industry and create jobs but this wider defense pact has already angered both an ally in France and a powerful rival in the region France which had hoped to build
the submarines have called the deal a stab in the back but China sees it as more of threat cooperation between the united states the UK and Australia over nuclear submarines has seriously undermined
regional peace and stability intensified the arms race and undermined international nuclear non-proliferation efforts we might have led to the exit from Afghanistan but this agreement shows it’s not turning its back on china’s
growing influence in the pacific Jonathan Beale BBC news let’s talk to our North America editor john spool who is in Washington and the french are very unhappy about this Sophie i think this is the law of unintended
consequences the the the people who signed this expected china to be angry they did not expect the seething furious reaction from the french look there was meant to be this huge garland dinner this weekend to celebrate 240 years of the french assisting
the war of independence for the united states and french frigates moored in Baltimore harbor the head of the french navy has come over and they have said we’re not going ahead with any of this that is how angry
we are the french and Americans have fallen out over foreign policy before the invasion of Iraq but this is a most undiplomatic row one senior source has suggested to me maybe the french hope they’re gonna get some kind of reward from
the Americans because of this slight the french had been hoping to sell diesel-powered submarines to the Australians that sale has fallen through now as a result of this and as a result, it’s the french you’ve got nuclear.
