Australia had concerns about the conventional submarines it ordered from France
The Prime Minister of Australia – Scott Morrison has said that Australia ditched the deal with France as it was concerned that the conventional submarines it ordered from France would not meet its strategic needs.
Seeking to explain the reason behind Australia’s U-Turn, Morrison said that “Australia’s national interest comes first.” Morrison said he had already informed the President of France – Emmanuel Macron about the real issues of the conventional submarines in June 2020.
Addressing the media, Morrison said, “It must come first and did come first and Australia’s interests are best served by the trilateral partnership I’ve been able to form with President Biden and Prime Minister Johnson.”
He also said, “We had deep and grave concerns that the capability being delivered by the Attack-class submarine was not going to meet our strategic interests and we had made very clear that we would be making a decision based on our strategic national interest.”
France has been upset because Australia cancelled a U.S. $ 37 billion (£ 27 billion) deal it had signed with Australia in 2016 to build 12 conventional submarines, a day before entering the Aukus Pact with United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (U.K.). France was informed of the new alliance only hours before the public announcement was made. As per the pact, Australia will build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology provided by the U.S. The pact aims to counter the growing influence of China in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Spokesperson of French Government – Gabriel Attal said that the President of France – Emmanuel Macron will hold a phone call with the President of U.S. – Joe Biden in the next few days to move forward.
The cancellation of the deal has real economic consequences for France. French submarine builder Naval Group said 500 of its employees in Australia and 650 employees in France are affected by the breakdown of the agreement. It also suspended its recruitment efforts in order to prioritize the needs of those affected by the contract coming to an end.
France, which is already having issues with U.K. post-Brexit and on large number of migrants entering through the English Channel, accused the U.K. of being an opportunist. On its part, the Foreign Secretary of U.K. – Liz Truss stated that U.K. is seeking to build partnerships with like-minded countries. She said that the Aukus Pact shows Britain’s readiness to be hard-headed in defending our interests and challenging unfair practices and malign acts.
Besides, France is also looking at various retaliatory actions like involving the NATO.
