In a bid to restore good relations between the US and France, US President Joe Biden met with his French counterpart Emanuel Macron ahead of today’s G20 summit and acknowledged that the submarine deal was not done “with a lot of grace” though he stopped short of formally apologising.
Australia’s decision to scrap its contract with Naval group, a French ship builder for diesel-powered submarines in favour of nuclear-powered ones in the AUKUS alliance had been referred to as “a stab in the back. We had established a relationship of trust with Australia. This trust has been betrayed” by the French.
Biden said that “I think, what happened was to use an English phrase, what we did was clumsy” and also that “I was under the impression that France had been informed long before”. The US wanted Australia to have the submarines as a regional counterweight to China.
Both leaders agreed to have “stronger cooperation” to avoid miscommunications in the future. Asked about whether US-France relations had mended, Macron told the media “We clarified what we had to clarify”, adding further: “What really matters now is what we will do together in the coming weeks, the coming months, the coming years”.
Meanwhile, China and Indonesia have expressed concerns on the AUKUS alliance regarding risks of nuclear proliferation. There was a meeting in Rome between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indonesia counterpart Retno Marsudi. Indonesia will host the G 20 summit next year.
Wang had earlier called AUKUS “damaging” to “regional prosperity and stability” and said that it risks setting off an arms race in the region
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