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Aukus alliance
ChinaDiplomacy

Australia getting nuclear subs via Aukus ‘ups risk of conflict near China’

  • Submarine deal bolsters military deterrence in Indo-Pacific and shows intention to influence China’s strategic calculations, experts say
  • Academic warns of possibility of conflict along first island chain as Canberra embraces US strategy to confront Beijing

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The capability of Australia’s diesel-electric submarines would be far exceeded by the nuclear-powered ones it could get from the Aukus deal. Photo: AFP
Amber Wang
The new security partnership to help Australia acquire its first fleet of nuclear-powered submarines will add risks of military conflicts in waters close to China including the disputed South China Sea, an expert warned.
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Australia will bolster its naval strength and narrow the gap between its naval force and China’s – the world’s largest navy– by building eight nuclear-powered submarines (also known as SSNs, the US Navy’s hull classification) through Aukus, the Indo-Pacific security partnership with the United States and Britain. It will become only the second country, after Britain in 1958, to be given access to US nuclear technology.

Six nations currently operate SSNs, which are believed to stay completely submerged for longer, limiting the opportunities for detection by adversaries.

Australia also acquiring them will add risks of conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region and pose threats to Chinese submarines in accidental collisions, said Wu Riqiang, an associate professor of international studies at Renmin University.

“The submarines to be acquired by Australia will of course add to the capabilities of its navy forces, which should be viewed not in isolation but as part of the military alliance of Australia and the US to counter China,” Wu said. “Australia acquiring SSNs will definitely increase the risk of conflicts along the first island chain, such as in the South China Sea.

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