{"id":4794,"date":"2023-03-15T13:11:47","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T13:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4794"},"modified":"2023-03-28T11:16:14","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T11:16:14","slug":"former-australian-prime-minister-says-submarines-are-worst-deal-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/analysis\/defense\/former-australian-prime-minister-says-submarines-are-worst-deal-ever\/2023\/03\/15\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Australian Prime Minister says submarines are ‘worst deal ever’"},"content":{"rendered":"

SYDNEY<\/span> (Dr. Majid Khan\/AP)<\/span>Former<\/span> Australian<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Paul<\/span> Keating<\/span> said<\/span>\u00a0that<\/span> Australia’s<\/span> plan<\/span> to<\/span> buy<\/span> nuclear<\/span> submarines<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States<\/span> to<\/span> modernize<\/span> its<\/span> fleet<\/span> “must<\/span> be<\/span> the<\/span> worst<\/span> deal<\/span> ever”.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Keating<\/span> said<\/span> at<\/span> his<\/span> club’s<\/span> event<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> National<\/span> Press<\/span> that<\/span> submarines<\/span> would<\/span> not<\/span> serve<\/span> military<\/span> purposes.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThe<\/span> only<\/span> way<\/span> China<\/span> can<\/span> threaten<\/span> or<\/span> attack<\/span> Australia<\/span> is<\/span> on<\/span> land,<\/span> which<\/span> means<\/span> they<\/span> are<\/span> bringing<\/span> a<\/span> fleet<\/span> of<\/span> warships<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> huge<\/span> army<\/span> to<\/span> garrison<\/span> us,\u201d<\/span> Key<\/span> said.<\/span> Ting<\/span> said,<\/span> “That’s<\/span> impossible<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> Chinese.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> added<\/span> that<\/span> Australia<\/span> would<\/span> sink<\/span> such<\/span> a<\/span> Chinese<\/span> armada<\/span> with<\/span> planes<\/span> and<\/span> missiles.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“The<\/span> idea<\/span> is<\/span> that<\/span> we<\/span> need<\/span> American<\/span> submarines<\/span> to<\/span> protect<\/span> us,”<\/span> said<\/span> Keating.<\/span> “Buy<\/span> eight,<\/span> there<\/span> are<\/span> three<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> ocean.<\/span> Three<\/span> will<\/span> protect<\/span> us<\/span> from<\/span> Chinese<\/span> power.<\/span> Really?<\/span> I<\/span> mean<\/span> the<\/span> crap<\/span> of<\/span> it<\/span>.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Australian<\/span> deal,<\/span> announced<\/span> Monday<\/span> in<\/span> San<\/span> Diego<\/span> by<\/span> US<\/span> President<\/span> Joe<\/span> Biden,<\/span> Australian<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Anthony<\/span> Albanese<\/span> and<\/span> British<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Rishi<\/span> Sunak,<\/span> comes<\/span> amid<\/span> growing<\/span> concerns<\/span> over<\/span> China’s<\/span> military<\/span> buildup<\/span> and<\/span> influence<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Indo-Pacific.<\/span> was<\/span> done.<\/span> Biden<\/span> emphasized<\/span> that<\/span> submarines<\/span> will<\/span> not<\/span> carry<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> of<\/span> any<\/span> kind.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Australian<\/span> Defense<\/span> Minister<\/span> Richard<\/span> Marls<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> deal<\/span> was<\/span> necessary<\/span> to<\/span> counter<\/span> the<\/span> largest<\/span> conventional<\/span> military<\/span> build-up<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> region<\/span> since<\/span> World<\/span> War<\/span> II.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cWe<\/span> must<\/span> take<\/span> steps<\/span> to<\/span> develop<\/span> the<\/span> capability<\/span> to<\/span> operate<\/span> nuclear<\/span> submarines<\/span> so<\/span> that<\/span> we<\/span> can<\/span> pass<\/span> on<\/span> to<\/span> our<\/span> children<\/span> and<\/span> grandchildren<\/span> a<\/span> much<\/span> more<\/span> self-sufficient<\/span> nation,\u201d<\/span> Marles<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> US,<\/span> Australia<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> UK<\/span> “continue<\/span> down<\/span> a<\/span> wrong<\/span> and<\/span> dangerous<\/span> path<\/span> for<\/span> their<\/span> own<\/span> geopolitical<\/span> self-interest”.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> reiterated<\/span> its<\/span> opposition,<\/span> accusing<\/span> the<\/span> three<\/span> countries<\/span> of<\/span> “imposing”<\/span> the<\/span> approval<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> agreement<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> International<\/span> Atomic<\/span> Energy<\/span> Agency.<\/span> “China<\/span> urges<\/span> all<\/span> member<\/span> states<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> (IAEA)<\/span> to<\/span> actively<\/span> promote<\/span> intergovernmental<\/span> processes<\/span> to<\/span> find<\/span> solutions<\/span> to<\/span> security<\/span> issues<\/span> related<\/span> to<\/span> nuclear<\/span> submarine<\/span> cooperation<\/span> between<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States,<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Kingdom<\/span> and<\/span> Australia,<\/span> and<\/span> promote<\/span> international<\/span> peace.<\/span> We<\/span> ask<\/span> China<\/span> to<\/span> maintain<\/span> international<\/span> security,\u201d<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Ministry<\/span> Spokesperson<\/span> Wang<\/span> Wenbin<\/span> said<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> regular<\/span> press<\/span> conference.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Keating<\/span> said<\/span> he<\/span> served<\/span> as<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> for<\/span> over<\/span> four<\/span> years<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> 1990s.<\/span> He<\/span> was<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> same<\/span> Labor<\/span> Party<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> Albanians.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Keating<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> submarine<\/span> agreement<\/span> was<\/span> the<\/span> worst<\/span> international<\/span> decision<\/span> in<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 100<\/span> years<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Labor<\/span> Party’s<\/span> failed<\/span> attempt<\/span> to<\/span> introduce<\/span> conscription<\/span> during<\/span> World<\/span> War<\/span> I.<\/span> Keating<\/span> also<\/span> teased<\/span> the<\/span> cost<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> deal,<\/span> which<\/span> Australian<\/span> officials<\/span> estimated<\/span> at<\/span> A$268<\/span> billion<\/span> to<\/span> A$368<\/span> billion<\/span> ($178<\/span> billion<\/span> to<\/span> $245<\/span> billion)<\/span> over<\/span> 30<\/span> years.<\/span> Australian<\/span> officials<\/span> say<\/span> the<\/span> deal<\/span> will<\/span> create<\/span> 20,000<\/span> jobs.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cFor<\/span> $360<\/span> billion,<\/span> you<\/span> can<\/span> get<\/span> eight<\/span> submarines,\u201d<\/span> Keating<\/span> said.<\/span> “This<\/span> must<\/span> be<\/span> the<\/span> worst<\/span> deal<\/span> ever.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>\"\"<\/span>At<\/span> a<\/span> press<\/span> club<\/span> event,<\/span> Keating<\/span> was<\/span> asked<\/span> whether<\/span> ties<\/span> to<\/span> China<\/span> influenced<\/span> his<\/span> views.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> said<\/span> he<\/span> had<\/span> no<\/span> commercial<\/span> interests<\/span> in<\/span> China<\/span> and<\/span> left<\/span> the<\/span> bank’s<\/span> board<\/span> five<\/span> years<\/span> ago.<\/span> “I<\/span> was<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> board<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Development<\/span> Bank<\/span> of<\/span> China<\/span> for<\/span> 13<\/span> years<\/span> and<\/span> as<\/span> chairman<\/span> for<\/span> 10<\/span> years,”<\/span> Keating<\/span> said,<\/span> adding<\/span> that<\/span> his<\/span> commission,<\/span> or<\/span> commission,<\/span> was<\/span> $5,000<\/span> a<\/span> year.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Keating<\/span> also<\/span> lashed<\/span> out<\/span> at<\/span> some<\/span> journalists<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> event,<\/span> saying<\/span> one<\/span> reporter’s<\/span> question<\/span> was<\/span> “too<\/span> stupid<\/span> and<\/span> hardly<\/span> worth<\/span> answering”<\/span> and<\/span> another<\/span> about<\/span> China’s<\/span> perceived<\/span> threat<\/span> to<\/span> Australia.<\/span> “You<\/span> should<\/span> bow<\/span> your<\/span> head<\/span> in<\/span> shame,”<\/span> he<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> recent<\/span> report<\/span> in<\/span> his<\/span> newspaper.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cFor<\/span> the<\/span> record,<\/span> Mr.<\/span> Keating,<\/span> we<\/span> are<\/span> very<\/span> proud<\/span> of<\/span> our<\/span> journalism<\/span> and<\/span> believe<\/span> it<\/span> has<\/span> made<\/span> an<\/span> important<\/span> contribution<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> national<\/span> debate,\u201d<\/span> said<\/span> Matthew,<\/span> a<\/span> second<\/span> journalist.<\/span> Knott<\/span> replied.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SYDNEY (Dr. Majid Khan\/AP)Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said\u00a0that Australia’s plan to buy nuclear submarines from the United States to modernize its fleet “must be the worst deal ever”. Keating said at his club’s event in the National Press that submarines would not serve military purposes. \u201cThe only way China can threaten or attack […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,276,280,1566,2425],"tags":[1569,1574,1604,1620,1633,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/0c56efc0995dc0df431f152c3e63dd69.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4794"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5306,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4794\/revisions\/5306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}