BCB in Brief: The evolution of AUKUS and Australian submarines in Taiwan scenarios
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What happened
The Australian, UK, and US defence ministers announced on 9 April that the three countries “are considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II,” which includes advanced capabilities like artificial intelligence, hypersonic missiles, and quantum technologies.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on 8 April that it was “gravely concerned” about the possible expansion of AUKUS and that “Japan needs to earnestly draw lessons from history and stay prudent on military and security issues.”
This followed comments last week from US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell suggesting that Australia’s AUKUS submarines could be deployed “in a variety of scenarios, including in cross-strait circumstances.”