Ashish Ranjan
Rishi Sunak to meet Joe Biden: Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with US Vice President Joe Biden and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to discuss the emerging AUKUS security pact, according to the UK leader’s spokesman.
Australia is expected to sign a nuclear-powered submarine deal with the United Kingdom or the United States as part of the three nations’ efforts to counter China’s rising assertiveness in the Pacific region.
The rumoured one-day meeting will reportedly take place in San Diego, California. There, the United States has one of its largest naval bases.
The prime minister will be in the United States on Monday to discuss AUKUS with President Biden and Australian Prime Minister Albanese, according to Sunak’s spokesman.
He added that on the same day, the British government will release an update to its so-called “Integrated Review” of security, defence, and foreign policy.
The last update, published two years ago, was billed as the most comprehensive since the end of the Cold War and was drafted as London readjusted its foreign policy post-Brexit. It outlined a shift in strategic emphasis towards Asia and labelled China a “systemic rival.”
Within months, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia announced their “enhanced trilateral security partnership,” paving the way for the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.
London has insisted that the new defence alliance will not be antagonistic to any other nation. However, it has been widely interpreted as a Western response to concerns about China’s growing influence and military expansion in the region.
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The Times, a British newspaper, reported on Tuesday that Australia is expected to acquire British submarines rather than American ones as part of the AUKUS pact because it is easier to crew the smaller British vessels.
