Australia has announced that more u.s
troops will rotate through the island
nation and that the allies will
cooperate on missile development. The
latest joint steps amid shared concerns
about china's increasing assertiveness
in the region. Australia earlier announced a three-way
alliance with the United States and Britain in which Canberra will acquire
nuclear-powered submarines. Enraging
france whose own key contract for
conventional submarines was scrapped.
Outlining further measures on a visit to
washington
defence minister Peter Dutton said on
thursday that Australia will be
significantly enhancing cooperation
including working together on the
development of missiles and explosive
ordnance. He said Australia was willing to see
more u.s marines in a 10-year rotation
through the northern city of Darwin. "I do have an aspiration to make sure
that we can increase the numbers of
troops through the rotations," Dunn said. "The air capability will be enhanced our
maritime capability enhanced and
certainly the force posture enhanced."
Prime minister scott morrison earlier
had said that australia would acquire
long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. U.S defense secretary Lloyd Austin also
without giving numbers confirmed that
the united states will expand our access
and presence in australia. Austin said the two allies discussed
concerns about China in the four-way
meeting involving secretary of state Anthony Blinken and foreign minister Maurice Payne. "While we seek a constructive
results-oriented relationship with the
prc we will remain clear-eyed in our
view of beijing's efforts to undermine
the established international order," Austin said.
Actually, China has voiced anger about the nuclear
submarine deal which comes as australia
faces growing commercial and diplomatic
pressure from the asian power a chief
destination for its food and energy
exports.
Beijing has seen over the past months
that australia will not back down and
the threats of economic retaliation and
pressure simply will not work lincoln
said. The united states will not leave Australia alone on the field or better
yet on the pitch he said using sporting
metaphors. Approximately 2200 u.s marines were
scheduled to come through Darwin in the
2021 rotation with restrictions in place
due to Covid-19 in Australia's strict
quarantine measures.
President Joe Biden has cited the need
to focus on china as he controversially
withdrew the final U.S troops from Afghanistan last month. In another sign to China Morrison will
head to Washington next week for a
first-in-person four-way summit with Biden Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Shuga.
Dutton also pointed to Indonesia, Vietnam
and South Korea as partners for
australia in the region. "They understand the values that we
adhere to and that we've been
consistently adhered to for a long
period of time," he said.
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