This is strange. It was well known in defense circles that Australia was greatly displeased with the progress on the French submarine contract. Delivery dates were already extended well into the future. That Australia was ready to make a jump should have been passed to Biden through his daily intel briefing — if he is receiving a briefing.
The Australian - French submarine “contract” IS NOW a Communist Chinese war (in words and trade and social networking propaganda!) across the globe!
It is NOT a US-Australia “deal” in anything but the fact that, once Australia canceled its perpetually-failing, ever-longer-delayed, ever-more-expensive contract to build diesel electric (short-range) subs with France , the ONLY people who can deliver long range (nuclear) submarine enginerooms and reactors are the US and UK.
Yes. If Australia told the Biden State dept what they planned, China would immediately have used Biden-Hunter-Pelosi-Fienstein-etc-etc-etc to get the deal canceled. Probably by invoking some invented “nuclear-proliferation” scheme by claiming the Aussies would develop nuclear bombs from the Navy reactor fuel.
Note carefully that long-range,long-duration subs like nuclear are the ONLY threat to Chinese occupation and naval blockade of the entire Asian coastline around from China through the Straits to India and Pakistan.
Biden - I don’t read no stinkin newspaper (or anything else)!!!