EDITORIAL: Chinese warships a reminder of importance of AUKUS

For increasingly obvious reasons, the United States is our most important security partner — by a long way.

So it was heartening indeed when President Donald Trump in October endorsed AUKUS — our submarine procurement treaty with the US and UK.

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the US President declared the Biden-era agreement was going “full steam ahead”.

Under the AUKUS partnership, US nuclear-powered submarines are scheduled to begin regular deployments to Perth’s HMAS Stirling naval base from 2027 and Australia will begin receiving second-hand Virginia-class vessels in the early 2030s.

Mr Trump’s approval came after a nervous wait from June when senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby began a review of AUKUS to examine whether it aligned with the US administration’s “America First” agenda.

This week it was revealed Australia had been given a copy of the review and Defence Minister Richard Marles said the US was “100 per cent supportive” of the deal.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the review “confirms that AUKUS is full steam ahead”.

“So far, AUKUS is hitting every single milestone that we’ve set it, and this review confirms that,” Mr Conroy said.

But there remain some critical points along the way, with Congressman Joe Courtney saying there were “critical deadlines that all three countries have to meet”.

And in another twist, it emerged on Friday that a new US defence document was not expected to rate Australia as a gold standard ally.

Japanese news outlet Nikkei reported that the Trump administration’s forthcoming National Defence Strategy would praise South Korea and Israel as “model allies” but not give Australia the same designation.

Citing sources familiar with the document, it said the NDS would be released in coming weeks and commend South Korea and Israel for acting as partners rather than dependents.

And in another development set to cause concern in Canberra, new pictures show the Chinese naval task group cutting through the Philippine Sea.

Although it is being monitored by the Australian military, there has been no confirmation of its destination amid speculation that it may soon head towards Australian waters.

That would be another sign that China is intent on continually flexing its muscle and a strong signal that ongoing tensions in our region are likely to get more fraught in the days ahead.

It comes after China’s menacing behaviour in conducting live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea and a circumnavigation of the continent by three Chinese warships earlier this year.

And now Beijing is deploying dozens of warships and coast guard boats across East Asian waters in a record maritime show of force.

At one point over 100 Chinese vessels are believed to have been recently scattered throughout the region.

And that is why it is heartening to hear again that AUKUS is full steam ahead.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore.