Latest news with #ChineseAggression
ABC News
5 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
US congressmen urge Trump administration to continue 'critical' AUKUS submarine deal to secure Indo-Pacific
US politicians who have championed AUKUS have stepped up lobbying efforts with the Trump administration, saying the defence technology pact is "critical" to deterring "Chinese aggression" and urging the White House not to dump it. The Trump administration said earlier this month it would conduct a 30-day review of AUKUS, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling Congress last week his department would "make sure it fits the priorities of the president and that our defence and shipbuilding industrial base can support." The federal government has played down the impact of the review, saying it was confident the White House would continue to endorse the initiative. Five US congressmen who sit on multiple influential house defence committees have now written to the defense secretary to declare their support for AUKUS, saying it was a "critical mission" to "deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region." The senior Pentagon official conducting the review, Elbridge Colby, has previously said the US will only be able to sell at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia under AUKUS if it succeeds in rapidly lifting its rate of submarine production. Australia has committed $3 billion to help bolster America's submarine industrial base under AUKUS. The five congressmen — including Republican and House Armed Services Committee chair Mike Rogers as well as Democrats Joe Courtney and Adam Smith — said in their letter that they were "confident in our ability to meet both US fleet requirements and our AUKUS commitments." The politicians said additional funding commitments from Congress, on top of Australia's payments, have allowed US shipyards to ramp up steel fabrication and increase construction pace. "Shipbuilders delivered two attack submarines in 2024 (USS New Jersey and USS Iowa), with two more slated for delivery in 2025 (USS Massachusetts and USS Idaho), and another two in 2026," they wrote. They argued that increasing capacity would "open a pathway to selling the Virginia-class submarines to Australia in 2032, 2035, and 2038", as planned. The congressmen also talked up progress on skills, saying "over 120" Australian sailors and officers were currently completing joint nuclear submarine training, with other Australian sailors already joint-crewing US Virginia-class submarines." The letter comes as AUKUS supporters in both the Senate and Congress — as well as Australian officials — intensify efforts to reassure senior Trump administration officials that it should stand. Late last week, Democrat Senator Tim Kaine and Republican Senator Pete Ricketts introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening AUKUS by "streamlining defence industrial base collaboration" and exempting Australia and the UK from congressional notification for overseas manufacturing. Defence Minister Richard Marles discussed AUKUS during talks with his UK counterpart John Healy in London ahead of his visit to the NATO meeting in the Hague. He again said the review was a "perfectly natural step" for the Trump administration to take and expressed confidence in AUKUS, although he said he would not speculate on its outcome. Mr Marles also acknowledged that developing enough highly trained submariners, engineers, and specialists would be crucial to the success of AUKUS in Australia. "We are confident that we can get this right, but we're not sanguine about it," he said.
Telegraph
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britain enrages China with patrolling warship in Taiwan Strait
Britain has enraged China by sailing one of its warships through the Taiwan Strait. HMS Spey, a Royal Navy patrol vessel, sailed through the waterway – which flows between China and Taiwan, and over which Beijing claims sovereignty – on Wednesday. Taiwan hailed the patrol, the first by a British naval vessel since 2021, as the UK defending freedom of navigation of the Strait in the face of increased Chinese aggression in the region. A Navy spokesman said the long-planned deployment 'took place in full compliance with international law'. But China's People's Liberation Army accused the Navy of trying to 'distort legal principles and mislead the public'. It said its actions were 'undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait'. China claims sovereignty over both Taiwan and the Strait, while the government in Taipei considers the waterway to be international waters. The People's Liberation Army also said the ship was responsible for 'public hyping' and that its forces had been monitoring its movements. 'Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations,' it said. In contrast, Taiwan's foreign ministry said it 'affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait' and 'demonstrating its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters'. Earlier on Friday, Taiwan's defence ministry said it detected 50 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around the island between 6am on Thursday and 6am on Friday local time. The ministry also said 46 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering Taiwan's air defence identification zones. Another 24 People's Liberation Army aircraft were detected on Friday morning, including Russian-made Su-30 fighters and the Chinese-made Shaanxi KJ-500, 15 of which crossed the median line. Taiwan 'monitored the situation and employed [patrol] aircraft, navy vessels and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,' its defence ministry said. While Chinese aircraft and vessels move around Taiwan almost daily, the number has fluctuated around the low tens on average over the last couple of weeks.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hegseth reassures allies that US will support them against Chinese aggression
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed in a speech in Singapore on Saturday that the United States will continue to support U.S allies in the Indo-Pacific region against Chinese aggression as he warned that Chinese military action against Taiwan could be "imminent." Hegseth made his remarks in a speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, which is organized by the International Institute for Security Studies and is a high-profile gathering of regional and international security leaders. His remarks laid out how the Trump administration sees the Indo-Pacific region as a "priority theater" and how the U.S. is prepared to stand by allies in a region where China continues to carry out aggressive military actions, particularly against Taiwan and the Philippines. MORE: Hegseth, Gabbard lead US delegation to major security summit in Singapore "We do not seek conflict with Communist China. We will not instigate nor seek to subjugate or humiliate," Hegseth said. "President Trump and the American people have immense respect for the Chinese people and their civilization, but we will not be pushed out of this critical region. And we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated." In recent years China has invested heavily in building up its military and increased its naval and air presence around Taiwan, engaging in almost daily harassment of Taiwan's borders -- raising concerns that it is preparing to retake by force the island nation it considers a breakaway province. "Nobody knows what China will ultimately do," said Hegseth. "But they are preparing and we must, therefore, be ready as well. Urgency and vigilance is our only option." "We are preparing for war, to deter war — to achieve peace through strength," Hegseth added. "And we look to you — our allies and partners — to join us in this important work. Our time is now. The threats we face will not wait. Nor can we." MORE: Macron will kick off Singapore security conference with Hegseth in attendance "To be clear: any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world," said Hegseth who stressed that China may be ready to act sooner than the 2027 deadline that China's President Xi Jinping had set for China's military to be prepared for possible action against Taiwan. "There is no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent -- we hope not, but it certainly could be," said Hegseth. China has also increased tensions with the Philippines where Chinese military vessels regularly harass Philippine ships operating in the international waters of the South China Sea as it continues to assert its territorial claims in the region. Relations between the U.S. and China have also soured following Trump's announcement of steep tariffs on Chinese imports that led China to announce reciprocal tariffs. Both sides have since entered into a shaky temporary agreement to lower their tariffs. MORE: Trump admin live updates: Trump says he's doubling steel tariff to 50% In his remarks, Hegseth said the Trump administration was pursuing a "common sense" approach to reestablishing deterrence that includes increasing the U.S. military presence in the western Pacific, "helping allies and partners strengthen their defense capabilities, and by rebuilding our defense industrial bases." Hegseth encouraged Asian countries to follow the example of NATO nations that have made commitments to increase their military spending to 5% of their gross domestic product as the Trump administration has stated that it wants them to take more ownership of their security commitments in Europe. "President Trump and I will be counting on you in this room -- our allies and partners -- to be force multipliers of peace alongside the United States," Hegseth said. "We ask — and indeed, we insist — that our allies and partners do their part on defense." He added, "Sometimes, this means having uncomfortable and tough conversations. Partners owe to it to each other to be honest and realistic. This is the essence of a pragmatic, common-sense foreign policy." Hegseth emphasized that the administration's approach does not mean that America's allies will have to go it alone in potential military actions. "You will also see that we are -- and will remain -- loyal to our allies and partners. In fact, the only way to ensure lasting alliances and partnerships is to make sure each side does its part," he said. Hegseth added, "We will stand with you and beside you to deter Chinese aggression," said Hegseth. The forum is sometimes an opportunity for high-level meetings between top U.S. and Chinese defense leaders during times of rising tension. But in an apparent snub, China's defense minister did not attend this year's forum and instead China was represented by a delegation from its National Defense University. MORE: Trump claims China 'totally violated' trade agreement with US "We can't account for whether or not China is here or not, but we're glad we are, and we think it makes the region more stable and more peaceful," Hegseth told reporters when asked to comment on China's decision. China's rising aggression in the region has been a major topic of the conference that included an opening address by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been touring of Southeast Asian nations to stress France's role in the region. On Friday night, Hegseth sat in the audience as Macron stressed the importance of a new alliance between European and Asian nations to avoid becoming "collateral victims of decisions made by superpowers" -- a reference to the United States and China. Macron cautioned against a loss of credibility for the international-rules based order if it is applied differently by the U.S. with regard to China while it attempts to resolve the war in Ukraine by allowing Russia to keep seized Ukrainian territory as the Trump administration has proposed. "If we consider that Russia could be allowed to take a part of the territory of Ukraine without any restriction, without any constraint, without any reaction of the global order, how would you phrase what could happen in Taiwan?" Macron said. "What would you do the day something happens in the Philippines?" "What is at stake in Ukraine is our common credibility, that we are still able to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty of people," said Macron. "No double standards." Hegseth reassures allies that US will support them against Chinese aggression originally appeared on
