Australia, the UK and the US are set to begin talks on bringing new members into their AUKUS security pact as Washington pushes for Japan to be involved as a deterrent against China, the Financial Times reported.
The countries’ defense ministers are today to announce discussions on “Pillar Two” of the pact, which commits the members to jointly developing quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic, artificial intelligence and cyber technology, the newspaper reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the situation.
They are not considering expanding the first pillar, which is designed to deliver nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia, the Financial Times said.
Photo: Reuters
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Wednesday said that the submarine project could help deter any Chinese move against Taiwan.
AUKUS, formed by the three countries in 2021, is part of their efforts to push back against China’s growing power in the Indo-Pacific region. China has called the pact dangerous and warned it could spur a regional arms race.
US President Joe Biden has sought to step up partnerships with US allies in Asia, including Japan and the Philippines, amid China’s historic military buildup and its growing territorial assertiveness.
US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote in an opinion piece published on Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal that Japan was “about to become the first additional Pillar II partner.”
A senior US administration official told Reuters on Wednesday that some sort of announcement could be expected in the coming week about Japan’s involvement, but gave no details.
Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida would likely discuss expanding AUKUS to include Japan when the president hosts the prime minister in Washington on Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the talks said.
However, Canberra is wary of beginning new projects until more progress has been made on supplying Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, said the source, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles has said they would “seek opportunities to engage close partners in AUKUS Pillar II” and any involvement of more countries would be decided and announced by the three partners, a spokesperson from his office said.
While the US is keen to see Japanese involvement in Pillar Two, officials and experts say obstacles remain, given a need for Japan to introduce better cyberdefenses and stricter rules for guarding secrets.
Campbell, an architect of US Indo-Pacific policy, said the US was encouraging Japan to do more to protect intellectual property and hold officials accountable for secrets.
“It’s fair to say that Japan has taken some of those steps, but not all of them,” he said.
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