Sydney, September 21, Reuters After discussing bilateral defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific with President Joe Biden on Saturday, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed confidence that the AUKUS defense pact will be upheld by any future U.S. administration.
After an election on November 5th, which will place Republican Donald Trump, Biden's running mate, in the White House, he will pass the torch to his vice president, Kamala Harris, who has promised a confrontational approach with China and expressed doubt about long-standing U.S. alliances. Australia's closest security ally is the United States.
"I have no doubt that AUKUS will remain supported by any U.S. administration going forward," Albanese stated during a live media conference from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
AUKUS was established in 2021 to allay concerns about China's increasing influence. Its purpose is to enable Australia to purchase attack submarines with nuclear propulsion as well as other cutting-edge armaments like hypersonic missiles.
Albanese is in the United States for the Quad Leaders Summit, where the leaders are anticipated to discuss the ongoing conflict between Beijing and its South China Sea neighbors, who have been at odds over disputed territory for years, according to U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters.
In a statement released on Saturday, Albanese's office said that he met with Biden prior to the summit in Delaware and they talked about bilateral cooperation in defense and security, including in the Indo-Pacific region.
For the first of several private one-on-one meetings with Albanese, Biden invited him to his house.
According to a statement from Albanese's office, the two leaders "reaffirmed their commitment to the AUKUS partnership and noted the ongoing and bipartisan support for AUKUS across the aliance."
"They praised the noteworthy advancements made this year, particularly in strengthening Australia's capacity to manage and command its own fleet of nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines starting in the early 2030s."
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