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- Malaysia has signalled it will seek out China’s view on the new AUKUS security pact between the US, UK and Australia
- The new alliance was formed with the objective of “promoting security in the Indo-Pacific” and will equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines
- The deal signalled an abrupt shredding of a $90 billion deal for 12 French-made diesel submarines
- While India, Japan and the Philippines have expressed their support for the pact, Indonesia and Malaysia have warned it could lead to a regional arms race
Malaysia has signalled it will seek out China’s view on the AUKUS security pact between the US, UK and Australia that was announced last week.
The new alliance was formed with the objective of “promoting security in the Indo-Pacific” according to the Australian Prime Minister and was met with stark opposition from China.
“The US and Australia gang up to smear China, interfere in China’s internal affairs out of geopolitical interests and drive wedge between regional countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lijian Zhao is a statement on Twitter. “China deplores and firmly opposes this.”
The first initiative under the AUKUS alliance is to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, leaving a $90 billion deal with the French dead in the water.
The abrupt shredding of the deal — which occurred only an hour before the AUKUS deal was made public, according to France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian — was followed by Paris recalling its ambassador from Australia.
Indonesia was one of the first other nations to express its unease at Australia’s decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. In a statement, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “deeply concerned over the continuing arms race and power projection in the region.”
Further, Indonesia called on Australia to maintain its commitment to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation which codifies decision making by consensus among South East Asian nations, what is often referred to as ‘the ASEAN way’.
Malaysia’s Minister of Defence Hishammuddin Hussein also tweeted he had conveyed Malaysia’s concerns to Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton, and called for a strengthening of stability in the region through existing partnerships such as the Five Power Defence Arrangement between commonwealth nations of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK.
On Wednesday, the Defence Minister called for an immediate working trip to China to hear the views of Chinese leadership on the AUKUS pact, Reuters reported.
On the other hand, the Philippines openly welcomed the enhanced security partnership and strengthening of Australian capabilities.
“ASEAN member states, singly and collectively, do not possess the military wherewithal to maintain peace and security in Southeast Asia,” said a statement from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin.
“The enhancement of a near abroad ally’s ability to project power should restore and keep the balance rather than destabilize it […] The Philippines aspires for the South China Sea to remain a sea of peace, security, stability, and prosperity.”
India and Japan have also expressed their support for the pact and will meet with the US and Australia in a Quad meeting in Washington on Friday.
