(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Last week the United States, Great Britain and Australia announced a new trilateral security alliance for the Indo-Pacific which would protect their shared interests and allow for greater sharing of defense capabilities. Included in the agreement was helping Australia acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines.
This AUKUS alliance, which seeks to counter China’s growing influence over the region, so angered the French that they recalled their ambassadors to the US and Australia in protest. This was the first time in the history of the United States that France recalled its ambassador.
Central to France’s complaint was that the sale of eight nuclear submarines to Australia included in this alliance effectively nullified a planned $40 billion agreement France had to sell Australia diesel-electric submarines.
Naturally China didn’t take the news at all well. Almost immediately after the trilateral alliance was announced, China said the US, UK and Australia should “shake off their Cold-War mentality and ideological prejudice.”
But the French and Chinese weren’t the only ones who were angry.
On Monday, North Korea warned that these countries sharing nuclear submarine technology would trigger a nuclear arms race.
Calling the actions of the alliance “extremely undesirable and dangerous acts,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry claimed that it would upset “the strategic balance” in the Indo-Pacific region and trigger a nuclear arms race.
The Foreign Ministry official told North Korean state media that it was “quite natural” for neighboring countries like China to condemn the actions as “irresponsible ones” that would destroy the “peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific, and do harm to the “international nuclear nonproliferation system.”
As if North Korea is on board with nuclear nonproliferation. Who do they think they’re kidding. Less than a week before the alliance was announced, North Korea had launched multiple missile tests.
In fact, they launched those tests on the same day South Korea was testing missiles from a submarine. Sounds like North Korea is already involved in a nuclear arms race.
While China and North Korea’s objections are understandable – they are the enemy after all — the anger from the French was clearly unexpected.
Interestingly, just days after France recalled its ambassador, President Biden finally announced he was lifting travel restrictions from European countries into the United States provided travelers show proof of vaccination.
Could this have been an attempt to smooth over the ruffled feathers of the French?
