Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pushed back at claims that Australia broke trust with the U.S. when it delayed informing Labor about the AUKUS negotiations and argued that Labor could leak the information due to its relationship with China.
It comes after reports emerged on Saturday that the Biden administration has entrusted the Liberal prime minister to secure bipartisan support from both the Coalition and Labor for the deal.
The AUKUS agreement seeks to enhance the security partnership between Australia, the U.S. and the UK, and is expected to strengthen a regional alliance to combat Beijing’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific. The agreement also marks the first time the U.S. has agreed to share its nuclear submarine technology since bringing in Britain in 1958.
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