The announcement in early September of a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—known as AUKUS—heralds a new global power structure.
It is a partnership between three countries from outside Asia to form an embryonic alliance against China, the rising power on the continent. Thousands of miles separate each of these countries from China, yet they share vital common interests. […]
Asian major powers are not blind to the reality that the Australian nuclear-powered submarines courtesy of the United States and Britain can also be used against them. Indonesia, a regional power with 271 million inhabitants and Australia’s biggest neighbor, announced shortly after AUKUS that it was “deeply concerned over the continuing arms race and power projection in the region.” India has adopted a studied silence. New Delhi sees itself as the future major naval power in the Indian Ocean. The presence of eight nuclear-powered Australian submarines would complicate that picture. Japan welcomed “the creation of AUKUS, which tries to strengthen the three countries’ commitments to the region.” Japanese officials may ponder, however, where that leaves Japan outside of AUKUS and the Five Eyes yet still linked to the United States by the treaty on Mutual Cooperation and Security. Both India and Japan may review the ramifications of AUKUS for the Quad–a strategic dialogue between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia. Läs artikel