US national security adviser Jake Sullivan says AUKUS shows Biden administration ‘believes in’ Australia

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said the United States made a “big bet” on the Alliance by promising to share nuclear submarine technology with Australia under the AUKUS Security Pact.

Important points:

• AUKUS has sparked a large diplomatic rift between Australia and France
• Mr Sullivan said the exchange of sensitive military technology is a message to Australia and the world that the US supports its allies
• He said a conflict between the US and China could be avoided despite “stiff competition”.

Mr. Sullivan made the remarks after giving a virtual address to the Lowy Institute in which he stated that the Biden administration intended to replenish America’s diplomacy and internal strengths while “turning the page” and ” Overemphasis on military engagement ”emphasized.

He also said that a US-China confrontation was not inevitable and promised that the US government would uphold its values ​​and “compete vigorously” with Beijing while “responsibly” ensuring that competition does not result in conflict mouth.

Mr Sullivan’s address comes after an angry diplomatic tussle between Canberra and Paris over the federal government’s decision to abandon a multi-billion dollar submarine contract with France and instead pursue a nuclear submarine program with the US and the UK .

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The United States engaged in intense diplomacy to repair its relationship with France after whipping all three AUCUS countries.

At the end of last month, US President Joe Biden told French President Emmanuel Macron that the AUKUS announcement was “clumsy” and said he did not know that France had not been informed about the submarine decision in advance.

But Mr Sullivan would not say whether the president’s comment was a criticism of the Morrison administration, saying he kept his “eyes fixed on the present and the future.”

“My view – I know it’s a sincere evasive maneuver, but an evasive maneuver nonetheless – is that I just think there is no benefit in reconsidering how we got to where we are,” he said .

The USS Connecticut (SSN 22, pictured in 2016) is a Seawolf-class rapid attack submarine. (AP: Thiep Van Nguyen II / US Navy, file photo)

“We believe we have presented a very strong and strong and substantial action plan with the French on a number of issues, including the Indo-Pacific. And we are digging into the real work of AUKUS.”

When asked whether the nuclear submarine announcement was a “big bet” on the alliance, Mr Sullivan said it shows the Biden government is ready to back the rhetoric with action for key partners.

“It’s a big bet. The president wanted to tell not just Australia but the world that if you are a strong friend and ally and partner and you bet with us, we will bet with you,” he said.

“And we bet with you on the most advanced and sensitive technology we have. Because we trust you, we believe in you.”

The US, UK and Australia have set themselves a deadline of 18 months to work out an agreement on nuclear submarines.

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The federal opposition has supported the move to nuclear-powered technology, but warns that the nation is now facing a looming capacity gap.

That’s because the Navy’s existing Collins-class submarines may need to be effectively rebuilt twice to keep them operational until about 2040 when the new boats are due to arrive.

Mr Sullivan said the US was determined to deliver on its promise to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines and said the countries would “travel together” on the project “literally for decades to come”.

“We are now determined to do the real work to make this happen in a way that fulfills the vision of our leaders when they hosted the virtual event together in September,” he told the Lowy Institute.

China is engaging in massive military build-ups and the Morrison administration says it needs the submarines as Australia faces an increasingly unsafe and dangerous strategic environment.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows to volume.RegardDuration: 1 minute 58 seconds1m 58s The prime minister defended his position after the French president accused him of lying about a submarine deal.

US and China have a choice to avoid conflict

While relations between the United States and China have plummeted in recent years, there are signs that both countries are now taking cautious steps to intensify dialogue and ease tension.

Last week, Mr. Sullivan met again with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Switzerland as the two countries continue to grapple with a host of disputes over trade, human rights, espionage, Taiwan and the AUKUS pact.

The US and China also reached an agreement on climate change overnight at the Glasgow summit, and speculation is mounting that Mr Biden could hold a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.

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“In my view, we have all this talk about the United States and China entering into a new Cold War, or that we are on our way to conflict, or the Thucydides trap – the choice not to do that,” said Sullivan called.

“Instead, we have a choice of moving forward with what President Biden has called tough competition. Where we will vigorously compete in multiple dimensions including business and technology. Where we will stand up for our values. “

He also said both countries would maintain a sizeable presence in the Indo-Pacific.

“We need to have a relationship with China and work with China on certain issues,” he said to Lowy.

“But we would like to say unequivocally that we want the traffic rules on all issues that affect our citizens to fundamentally promote our interests and reflect our values ​​as much as possible.”

While the Biden administration has tried to revive its diplomatic ties in Southeast Asia, several analysts say both the Trump and Biden administrations have neglected economic ties with the region.

The Trump administration has pulled the United States out of the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) economic deal, and the Biden administration has shown little appetite to join the successor to the CP-TPP.

Mr Sullivan said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will visit the region soon to discuss the government’s regional economic strategy, but offered few specific details.

“We believe there is an opportunity to put together a comprehensive vision and align a whole range of countries with it. So in the coming months we will be pushing this effort, ”he said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows to volume.RegardDuration: 2 minutes 4 seconds2m 4s The world’s two largest emitters say they will work together

And while the United States has been pushing Australia to promise deeper CO2 emissions cuts, Mr Sullivan did not criticize the Morrison administration for failing to make a more ambitious 2030 commitment for the Glasgow climate summit.

Instead, he just said that countries that account for about 65 percent of the world economy have set targets that “would keep (the world) within the 1.5 degree target (to limit global warming)”.

“That still means 35 percent of the world hasn’t done that yet. And that means there’s still a lot to be done,” he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-11/jake-sullivan-aukus-submarines-lowy-institute-event/100613904