Biden Announces Defense Deal With Australia in a Bid to Counter China
Source: NY Times
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration took a major step on Wednesday in challenging China’s broad territorial claims in the Pacific, announcing that the United States and Britain would help Australia to deploy nuclear-powered submarines, adding to the Western presence in the region.
If the plan comes to fruition, Australia may begin conducting routine patrols that could move through areas of the South China Sea that Beijing claims as its exclusive zone and range as far north as Taiwan. The announcement, made by President Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, is a major step for Australia, which until recent years has been hesitant to push back directly at core Chinese interests.
Australia has felt increasingly threatened, however, and three years ago was among the first nations to ban Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant, from its networks. Now, with the prospect of deploying a new submarine fleet, Australia would become a far more muscular player in the American-led alliance in the Pacific. The vessels are equipped with nuclear propulsion systems that offer limitless range and run so quietly that they are hard to detect. For Mr. Johnson, the new defense arrangement would bolster his effort to develop a “Global Britain” strategy that focuses on the Pacific, the next step after Brexit took the country out of the European Union.
“This is about investing in our greatest source of strength, our alliances, and updating them to better meet the threats of today and tomorrow,” Mr. Biden said in the East Room, flanked by two televisions showing the British and Australian leaders at their remote press briefings. “It’s about connecting America’s existing allies and partners in new ways.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/15/us/political-news#biden-australia-britain-china
Here's a link to the thread that was locked earlier https://democraticunderground.com/10142800659
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm heading off to get some chow, then I'll head back to my truck and watch it, it looks very interesting.
Australia has let France know they will no longer be needing France's services. France is not happy and of course is blaming Biden. Biden gives the French shrug. 
Response to MarineCombatEngineer (Reply #29)
I missed that troll's reply before the PPR.
MIRT on the job.
Check back, he may be back...
...again. 
Australia is perfectly capable of deciding who they want to buy submarines, or anything else, from. That country is a staunch ally of the U.S., and vice versa. So are the other members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Quad for short. (Australia and Japan are U.S. treaty allies, and India is an important strategic partner.)
China's not a fan, but that's because they (like most of the world) see the Quad as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power (power which China would of course prefer to be able to wield free of any challenges).
Here are some links if anyone would like to read up on the Quad. I know Blah world isn't interested since they're obviously here to attack it, but maybe someone else will benefit. 
https://www.csis.org/analysis/defining-diamond-past-present-and-future-quadrilateral-security-dialogue
https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/quad-indo-pacific-what-know
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrilateral_Security_Dialogue
Response to ShazzieB (Reply #25)
Response to ShazzieB (Reply #27)
I'm not Australian, never been there, don't follow Australian politics. I couldn't even begin to guess why the Australian government says or does anything.
Maybe a better question would be why are you trying to stir up controversy about Australian government policy on a messageboard focused on American politics and populated chiefly by Americans? Seems kind of pointless to me. 
