Senior British officials visiting Australia may talk about "Augustus" and "curbing China's influence", experts: Britain's global ambitions seem to be recovering

Source: Global Times

British Foreign Secretary Traus and Defence Secretary Wallace began their visit to Australia this week and will hold the first "2+2" talks between the two countries since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic with Australian Foreign Minister Payne and Defense Minister Darden on the 21st. According to Anglo-Australian media reports, the British head of foreign affairs and defence visited Australia to consolidate the defense and trade relations between the United Kingdom and Australia, especially how to further implement the "Augustus" agreement signed by Australia, britain and the United States and curb China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region. In an interview with The Australian on the 20th, Traus clearly stated that deeper defense cooperation between Britain and Australia is "crucial" to counter China's influence.

British Foreign Secretary Tras Infographic. Image source Visual China

According to the British "Guardian" reported on the 20th, since the British "Brexit", the Indo-Pacific region has become the core of the British foreign and security policy. In a statement before his visit to Australia, Terranas said that because "evil forces" threaten global peace and stability, it is crucial for close allies such as the United Kingdom and Australia to show strong vigilance in defending freedom and democracy. In an interview with The Australian on the 20th, Terrass warned that "aggression has intensified" around the world, while the world has an "unhealthy" economic dependence on China. Trade and investment are at the heart of her "free network" and believe Australia plays an important role in it, she said.

Tras also stressed the importance of the "Augustus" trilateral security partnership between Australia, britain and the United States. In the interview, she did not rule out the possibility of a shift in the way Australia's nuclear submarines are delivered, that is, Australia's procurement of nuclear submarines under the agreement is not necessarily the choice of the British "Astute" class or the Us "Virginia" class nuclear submarines, but may also use the method of joint collaboration between the three countries. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on the 19th, britain and Australia may also explore more direct military cooperation, which may include temporarily docking British nuclear submarines in Australia.

According to the official website of the Australian Foreign Ministry, Australia and the United Kingdom also signed the "Network and Key Technology Partnership" agreement on the 20th. Australia, along with partners such as the United Kingdom, will challenge malicious actors who use technology to undermine freedom and democracy, maintain an open, free, peaceful, secure internet environment that is consistent with international law and maximize opportunities for economic growth, the agreement said. According to Reuters reported on the 20th, Australian defense Darton said that the "2+2" talks held on Friday will also focus on network security issues. Dutton claimed that both the UK and Australia were regularly "attacked" by Russia, China, Iran and others. He said britain and Australia would "fight back".

For the upcoming "2 + 2" talks between Britain and Australia, Chen Hong, president of the China-Australia Research Association and director of the Australian Research Center of East China Normal University, said in an interview with the Global Times reporter on the 20th that Australia has recently been very active, not only signing a large arms sales order with South Korea, signing a "Reciprocal Access Agreement" with Japan, but also purchasing tanks from the United States.

In addition, Chen Hong believes that britain's efforts in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen its regional importance by serving the global strategy of the United States have its strategic ambitions. The "2+2" talks between Britain and Australia have not been held for many years, and in the current situation where the British Conservative government has encountered "party doors", the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Defence are still visiting Australia, indicating that the United Kingdom attaches great importance to the linkage with Australia in defense and diplomacy.

Chen Hong said that Britain has a history of global hegemony, and now it seems that global ambitions are revived, especially in the face of China, showing an aggressive posture, which is worth paying attention to. On the submarine issue, Chen Hong said that the two nuclear powers of the United States and Britain supporting a non-nuclear country in the South Pacific can be said to be violating the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and threatening regional peace and stability. In order to suppress China and safeguard US hegemony, they have used all kinds of tricks, and their strategy of using China as an imaginary enemy is very clear, but they have exhausted their tactics.