How Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison ALL failed to mention China in nuclear sub briefing

Australia’s new alliance with the US and Britain to build nuclear-powered submarines and beef up security in the Pacific is all about one thing – the rise of China.

But as Scott Morrison, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared the stage, all took great pains not to mention the Asian superpower.

Not a single mention of China, Chinese, or Beijing was uttered in the 12-minute joint press conference on Thursday morning, nor in any official statements.

The closest they got was referring to ‘the Indo-Pacific region’. 

However, the panda in the room was visible for all to see, with numerous veiled allusions to the authoritarian regime and its expansionism in the region.

‘We have always believed in a world that favours freedom, that respects human dignity – the rule of law, the independence of sovereign states and the peaceful fellowship of nations,’ Mr Morrison, who spoke first, said.

‘Our world is becoming more complex, especially here in our region – the Indo-Pacific. This affects us all. The future of the Indo-Pacific will impact all our futures.’

Mr Johnson was more guarded in his words, merely mentioning the three nations’ ‘shared values of freedom and democracy’ and their desire to ‘preserve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific’.

President Biden took the most swipes at America’s biggest rival, stressing the need for peace and emerging threats in the region.

‘We all recognise the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long-term,’ he said.

‘We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve. 

‘Because the future of each of our nation, and indeed, the world, depends on a free and open Indo-Pacific, enduring and flourishing in the decades ahead.’

Mr Biden implied the triumvirate would not be the only Western powers joining in an attempt to contain China and its designs regional domination.

‘This effort reflects a broader trend of key European countries playing an extremely important role in the Indo-Pacific,’ he said.

He also paid homage to China’s rapidly expanding military capability that Western allies are struggling to keep pace with.

‘This initiative is about ensuring that each of us had as a modern capability, the most modern capabilities to defend against rapid threats,’ he said.

The alliance will see Australia build a nuclear-powered submarine fleet in Adelaide to counter the deeply-worrying rise of China in the Pacific. 

The submarines will not be armed with nuclear weapons.

The increasingly belligerent and hostile behaviour of the Chinese Communist state led by dictator Xi Jinping is clearly the motivator for the initiative.

In August, a panel of Asian foreign policy experts warned a military conflict is ‘likely’ to erupt over the disputed island of Taiwan in the next five to 10 years 

China‘s military has become increasingly confident it could fend off a response from western powers. 

Beijing has been aggressively engaged in a program of military and strategic expansion in the Pacific in recent years, causing major concerns for many nations but especially South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.

Australia’s once-rosy bilateral relationship marked by Panda diplomacy and close business links has crumbled in the wake of the Covid pandemic, with China imposing increasingly punitive sanctions on Australian products.

Mr Morrison demanded an inquiry into the origins of the Covid pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, infuriating Beijing.

The dictatorship imposed arbitrary bans and trade tariffs on billions of dollars worth of key Australian exports including barley, wine, beef, cotton, seafood, coal, cobber and timber.

China has also repeatedly mocked Australia in recent times and in November its foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao  tweeted a vile fake image of an Australian soldier holding a bloodied knife to the throat of an Afghan child.

The move towards a nuclear Australia has been described as ‘China’s worst nightmare’ in a strategic bid to counter its influence in the region – especially in the South China Sea. 

It is also understood the Indonesian government will be privately furious about the announcement. 

Mr Morrison unveiled Australia’s role in a landmark tripartite security group, known by the acronym ‘AUKUS’, to switch to nuclear-powered submarines with help from its two of its biggest allies.

Mr Morrison was joined virtually for the announcement by US President Biden and UK Prime Minister Johnson in a historic joint press conference on Thursday morning, Australian time.

The deal will mean Australia will walk away from its controversial deal to spend up to $90billion buying French diesel-powered submarines.

This is the first time Australia has ever embraced nuclear power after decades of debate – and the first time the US and UK have shared their nuclear submarine technology with another nation. 

AUKUS will also allow the three allies to share the latest technology in artificial intelligence, underwater systems and long-range strike capabilities. 

Mr Morrison stressed though that Australia is not going to acquire nuclear weapons or use nuclear power to help fuel the national power grid. 

Australia has at least 40 per cent of the world’s uranium supplies and the new submarine deal could pave the way for the country to embrace nuclear power to drastically reduce carbon emissions. 

The US president meanwhile appeared to briefly forget Mr Morrison’s name at one point during the announcement – referring to him only as ‘that fella Down Under’.  

‘Thank you Boris. I want to thank that fella Down Under. Thank you very much pal,’ Mr Biden said.   

‘Our world is becoming more complex, especially here in our region – the Indo-Pacific. This affects us all. The future of the Indo-Pacific will impact all our futures,’ Mr Morrison said. 

‘To meet these challenges, to help deliver the security and stability our region needs, we must now take our partnership to a new level.

‘So AUKUS is born – a partnership where our technology, our scientists, our industry, our Defence Forces, are all working together to deliver a safer and more secure region that ultimately benefits all.’ 

Mr Morrison said the submarines would be built in Adelaide in co-operation with the US and the UK. 

He said the deal did not violate Australia’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation treaties.

‘This will be one of the most complex and technically demanding projects in the world,’ Mr Johnson said.

‘Lasting for decades and requiring the most advanced technology.’

Thursday’s announcement came just days before Mr Morrison travels to Washington DC for the first in-person summit of the four ‘Quad’ nations – Australia, US, Japan and India.

 Australia will follow in the path of the US and UK, who both use nuclear technology, amid speculation it would tear up the submarine deal with France. 

Senior Australian ministers were involved in a flurry of late-night meetings on the top-secret shipbuilding program on Wednesday, with Anthony Albanese and other senior Labor MPs briefed on the matter. 

The Prime Minister reportedly held concerns French-owned shipbuilder Naval Group would be unable to deliver submarines until 2030 with deadline and price disputes.

Mr Morrison is said to have tried to speak with the French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday regarding the new deal. 

News of Australia’s decision was instead reportedly disclosed to Paris by the secretary of the Defence Department, Greg Moriarty, the ABC reported.

The Australian Naval Institute has repeatedly criticised the troubled French submarine project while welcoming the use of nuclear technology. 

‘With regional tensions increasing, then building our own one-off type submarines which will arrive in the early 2030s is not good enough. We have no guarantee they will work,’ the article stated. 

‘When we built the Collins class submarines (at exorbitant expense) they did not work properly for several years.

‘Instead we should buy 12 of a proven design which is already in the water. We want long-range hunter-killer vessels. We also want them to be able to stay submerged for long periods to avoid detection. Nuclear does this in spades.’ 

It is speculated the US had planned to operate some of its nuclear submarines from Perth’s naval base HMAS Stirling. 

The UK, which also uses nuclear technology, is expected to support Australia with the move in the three-nation security pact. 

Sources say plan is a move to counter China’s rise in the technology and military sectors. 

It is one of a string of initiatives designed to demonstrate Washington’s global role after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden will next week host his first in-person summit of leaders of the Quad nations — made up of Australia, India, Japan and the United States — which have been coordinating against China’s growing reach.

‘Hosting the leaders of the Quad demonstrates the Biden-Harris administration’s priority of engaging in the Indo-Pacific, including through new multilateral configurations to meet the challenges of the 21st Century,’ White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Mr Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will attend.

She added the leaders will discuss Covid-19, the climate crisis, emerging technologies, and promoting a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ – diplomatic speak for countering China’s ambitions.

Leaders will be focused on deepening our ties and advancing practical cooperation on areas such as combatting the pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace, and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Bill Hagerty, Republican senator and former ambassador to Japan, welcomed the plan after the ‘debacle’ of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

‘Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal debacle made India’s neighborhood more dangerous & raises legitimate questions for Japan and Australia as well, so it’s good we will be hosting Quad partners soon,’ he said on Twitter.

‘We must repair & renew our alliances, and this one is key.’

Officials are increasingly concerned at the way China is laying claim to the South China Sea, ignoring other nations territorial claims. 

Under current international law Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, China and Taiwan all claim a portion of the South China Sea.

A Congressional report from earlier in July found China ‘gaining effective control’ of the region in recent years, which is rich in oil and natural gas deposits, by increasing their military presence and building up artificial islands.

As a result, the US and allies make frequent ‘freedom of navigation’ voyages through international waters in the region, drawing angry rebukes from Beijing.