Keating criticizes AUKUS over risk of war with China — The Guardian
Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said that the AUKUS submarine agreement could draw the country into a possible US conflict with China over Taiwan and make it a target for Beijing’s response. The Guardian reports.
Keating, a longtime critic of AUKUS, believes that the United States would “undoubtedly lose” a war with China over Taiwan. According to him, after a defeat, the United States would return to San Diego, while Australia would remain vulnerable to China because of its participation in a military operation against it.
Statements by a US congressman
Keating responded to remarks by Republican Michael McCaul, co-chair of the Australia Caucus in the US Congress. McCaul said that Australia is already a target for US adversaries, but that deeper integration with the American military would strengthen its protection rather than its vulnerability.
The congressman also said that after 2032 it would be “logical to assume” the presence of nuclear weapons on US nuclear-powered submarines that would be rotationally deployed at Australian bases. He added that Australia’s participation in a possible US war with China over Taiwan is regarded as obvious within the American military establishment. During his visit to Australia this month, McCaul met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
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Criticism of military cooperation
The former head of government said that due to increased interaction with the US military, including under AUKUS, Australian sovereignty is “effectively being dismantled.” In his assessment, the country is being tied ever more closely to US military priorities.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge, commenting on McCaul’s description of Australia as a US “staging ground” for deterring China and maintaining peace in the region, called for AUKUS to be ended. He said the country should not become a staging ground in someone else’s war.
Under the first component of AUKUS, Australia plans to purchase three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines already in service from the United States, starting in 2032. The agreement could cost Australia up to A$368 billion by the mid-2050s, according to the publication. From the early 2040s, Australia expects to deploy submarines of the new AUKUS class.
