SYDNEY—Australia on Sept. 19 defended its decision to ditch a multibillion-dollar order for French submarines and opt instead for an alternative deal with the United States and Britain, saying it had flagged its concerns to Paris months ago.
Canberra’s move has triggered an unprecedented diplomatic crisis that analysts say could do lasting damage to U.S. alliances with France and Europe. It also has riled China, the major rising power in the Indo–Pacific region.
A French government spokesman said on Sept. 19 that President Emmanuel Macron would have a call with U.S. President Joe Biden “in the next few days.” Paris has recalled its envoys to Washington and Canberra for consultations.
“I don’t regret the decision to put Australia’s national interest first,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Morrison said he understands France’s disappointment over the cancellation of the order—valued at $40 billion in 2016 and reckoned to cost much more today—but reiterated that Australia must always decide what’s in its best interests.
“This is an issue that had been raised by me directly some months ago and we continued to talk those issues through, including by defense ministers and others,” he told a briefing.
Under its new trilateral security partnership, Australia will build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology. The scrapped deal, struck with France’s Naval Group in 2016, was for a fleet of conventional submarines.
‘Open and Honest’
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal told BFM TV that Macron would seek “clarification” of the cancellation in his call with Biden. Discussions would then need to take place over contract clauses, notably compensation for the French side.Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said Canberra was “upfront, open and honest” with France about its concerns. He declined to reveal costs of the new pact, saying only that “it’s not going to be a cheap project.”
Britain’s role in the trilateral partnership demonstrates its readiness to be “hard-headed” in defending its interests post-Brexit, newly appointed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in an article published on Sept. 19.
She said it also shows Britain’s commitment to security and stability in the Indo–Pacific region.
