AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to embark on a contentious debate surrounding the AUKUS deal in an attempt to quell opposition among lawmakers over the contentious deal with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The showdown is set to unfold at a key decision-making conference on Friday as disapproval over plans to invest billions of dollars in the nuclear-powered submarine grows.
Under the deal, the US and Britain will supply Australia with eight submarines.
The former Head of the US Pacific Command stated that military vessels will help deter China from invading Taiwan, which implies Australia is preparing to spend billions to fight a war not of its own.
Meanwhile, the Chinese state media has accused the AUKUS partners of “pure deception” regarding the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and warned that UK, Australia, and the US embark on a “path of error and danger”.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles is planning to introduce a 32-paragraph statement in support of AUKUS for tomorrow’s conference while several lawmakers are expected to pass motions against the trilateral security pact.
The debate surrounding AUKUS comes at a time when Albanese accepted an invitation to visit China sometime this year.
