Reasons For Australia And Britain’s Membership In AUKUS Tripartite Security Treaty – OpEd

In the last decade, especially during the previous two years after the COVID_19 epidemic and the Ukraine crisis, China has rapidly increased its economic-military power and, consequently, its position in the international system. China now has the world’s second-largest economy and third-largest military power with nuclear weapons. This trend has led the United States to slow down this process and reduce China’s influence to maintain its position. The United States has long said it intends to shift its focus from West Asia to the continent’s east, although it has been slow to date.

US-China relations were relatively unchallenged until the end of Barack Obama’s presidency. But with the coming to power of Donald Trump, who based part of his campaign on China, the situation changed completely. During the Donald Trump administration, a tariff war was launched against Beijing, and Washington also imposed sanctions on some Chinese individuals and entities. China also responded by imposing tariffs. China hoped to ease tensions as Trump left. With the advent of Biden, not only has this tension not diminished, but Democrats have also used the Uighur issue as leverage to control and limit China. Following this process, the United States entered into a tripartite pact with Australia and Britain to control China, which also caused a great deal of controversy around the world. Now that about eight months have passed since the conclusion of this contract, it is necessary to address this issue in an atmosphere away from the media excitement. This article tries to explain the possible position of China and Russia, especially considering the crisis in Ukraine, while stating the reason for the US choice of Australia and Britain to cooperate.

Undoubtedly, the primary purpose of this treaty is that the United States intends to continue its strategic siege against China in East Asia. They already had a format for the military-political containment of the People’s Republic of China, consisting of the United States, Australia, Japan, and India (QUAD). Now, a new Anglo-Saxon format has been added. The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom (AUKUS) have announced that they intend to cooperate on political issues, participate in defense research, and provide security in the Indo-Pacific region. The first joint action of the pact members was to supply Australian nuclear submarines, which would have to move, especially in the waters of the South China Sea. Australia also canceled a submarine deal with France to sign the pact, angered Paris.

Why Australia and Britain join the AUKUS Security Treaty

The answer to this question is that Americans have only gone to countries anticipating full compliance with US policies. After leaving the European Union, Britain sought to restore its global greatness, which, according to London, could only be achieved under US foreign policy; Therefore, the British will strictly observe the desired discipline. Evidence of this can be seen in Britain’s ongoing sabotage and anti-Russian actions in the Ukraine crisis. Australians will not have a problem either. Even though China remains and remains China’s leading trading partner, Canberra now feels like a laboratory mouse based on which Beijing is formulating new principles for its relations with the West.

In the case of France and other prominent EU countries, such as Germany, their allegiance to US policies is not 100%. Although France and Germany join various warning statements against China, they are in no hurry to turn them into economic consequences. This means that 100% non-compliance can also be seen in the case of Ukraine. In discussing the Ukraine crisis, France, unlike Britain, tried to prevent war until the last days. And Germany is one of the European countries that has shown the slightest interest in the Russian oil and gas embargo and the most resistance to sending heavy equipment to Ukraine.

The position of China and Russia

China’s actions in recent years reflect the fact that the People’s Republic of China is pursuing a very cautious foreign policy and is trying to avoid any tensions as much as possible. Now, however, the level of tension seems to have risen to such an extent that China, like a tariff war, has to respond. China is also likely to condemn US actions in the region by signing similar agreements with countries such as Russia, conducting joint exercises, and resolving disputes with Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam to prevent further US influence. As for Russia, it should be said that Russia’s interests are entirely in line with AUKUS. The more the United States pressures China, the more Beijing attaches to its relations with Russia and trade, military-security-political cooperation with Russia. This issue has become more critical due to the pressure of severe sanctions imposed on Ukraine after the start of special operations. Russia, for example, could replace Australia in supplying several minerals and ores to the Chinese market. Therefore, Russian officials are formally criticizing the United States for escalating tensions, but in reality, they are likely to appreciate Biden.