The Big Deal Behind Ruckus Over AUKUS

Context: China’s economic and military capacities, as well as its belligerence, have led to a shift in regional security paradigms and brought the focus back on Indo-Pacific.

Indo-Pacific at centre of geopolitics: A global response to China’s rising military power and its adverse impact on regional stability

• AUKUS: A trilateral security pact between Australia, United Kingdom, and United States, to help Australia to develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines, adding to Western military presence in the Pacific region.
• First in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit:S., Japan, Australia and India meet to be held on 24 September, 2021.
• Exercise Malabar 2021: Brought together, for the second year running, the U.S. Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy.

Impact of AUKUS on security architecture of Indo-Pacific

• Opportunity to UK to reinsert itself into Indo-Pacific: Along with Five Eyes (FVEY) (an intelligence-­sharing alliance built on Anglo-­Saxon solidarity of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, U.K., and U.S.), AUKUS provides a fresh opportunity for direct engagement in Indo-Pacific
• Quad to remain significant: AUKUS does not erode Quad’s significance as a platform for consultations and coordination on broader themes of maritime security, free and open trade, health care, critical technologies, supply chains and capacity-building.
• A hypocritic China: China criticized AUKUS as promoting instability and stoking an arms race in Indo-Pacific region.
  • This is viewed as an hypocritic stance as China has world’s fastest-growing fleet of sub-surface combatants and its nuclear submarines are on prowl in Indo-Pacific.
• Australia’s role gets a boost: The deal to give Australia quite a punch in terms of a stand­off capability, which will

1.  Create new balance of power in Indo ­Pacific, especially in tandem with U.S. and U.K.
2.  Australia to have meaningful naval deterrence of its own to protect its sovereign interests.

• France’s momentary pique: France is angry after Australia signed AUKUS pact, pulling out of a major contract with France in the process.
  • This will set France to focus afresh on partners such as India, which must strike a balance between continuing imports and implementing Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence manufacturing.
• Japan’s rising footprint in security architecture: On wake on new threats, Japan increased its annual defence spending and prompted to switch to more potent defence weapons and deals.