US, UK and Australia consider expanding AUKUS security deal to deter China

The United States, Britain and Australia will begin talks to include new members in the AUKUS security pact as Washington pushes for Japan’s involvement to deter China. Financial Times the report said.

The two defense ministers will announce discussions on Monday on the “second pillar” of the deal, which calls for members to jointly develop quantum computing, undersea, hypersonics, artificial intelligence and cyber, the newspaper reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. technology.

They are not considering expanding Pillar One, which is designed to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines. Financial Times explain.

AUKUS was established by the three countries in 2021 as part of their efforts to counter China’s growing power in the Indo-Pacific. China calls the AUKUS deal dangerous and warns it could spark a regional arms race.

U.S. President Joe Biden seeks to strengthen partnerships with U.S. allies in Asia, including Japan and the Philippines, amid China’s historic military buildup and growing territorial assertiveness.

Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Tokyo, wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece on Wednesday that Japan was “on the cusp of becoming the first Pillar II partner.”

A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters on Wednesday that some kind of announcement about Japan’s involvement was expected next week, but gave no details.

Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may discuss expanding the scope of AUKUS to include Japan when they host his Japanese counterpart in Washington on Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter.

However, sources say Australia is wary of starting a new project until more progress is made in delivering nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra. The source requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

japanese obstacles

Spokespersons for the White House National Security Council and China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Financial Times report.

A spokesman for Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the department could not immediately comment.

A spokesperson for the office of Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said they would “pursue opportunities to engage with close partners in AUKUS Pillar 2” and that participation from additional countries would be determined and announced by the three partners. .

The Ministry of Defense said it also hoped to involve more allies in the work if a joint agreement was reached.

While the United States is keen to see Japan participate in Pillar 2, officials and experts say obstacles remain given Japan’s need to introduce better cyber defenses and stricter secrecy rules.

The United States encourages Japan to do more to protect intellectual property and hold officials accountable for confidentiality, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, architect of U.S. Indo-Pacific policy, said on Wednesday. “It’s fair to say that Japan has taken some of these measures, but not all,” he said.

The United States has long stated that other countries in Europe and Asia are expected to join the second pillar of AUKUS.

The senior U.S. official said any decision on who would participate in Pillar 2 would be made by the three AUKUS members, whose defense secretaries have been considering the issues for months, depending on what each country can bring to the project. What.

Campbell said other countries have also expressed interest in participating in AUKUS.

“I think you’ll hear us have something to say about this next week, and there will be further engagement from the three defense secretaries of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom as they focus on this effort as well,” Campbell told New Center for American Security Think Tanks.

Campbell also said Wednesday that the AUKUS submarine program could help deter any Chinese action against Taiwan. Beijing claims Taiwan is a democratically governed island that is part of China.

Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will hold a trilateral summit on Thursday.