Aukus security pact likely to spur China into boosting anti-submarine warfare capacity
- The deal to supply US nuclear-powered technology to Australia could prompt China to redouble efforts to overcome an area described as its Achilles’ heel
- Beijing has been upgrading its equipment, but military observers say it still lacks real-world experience and know-how
The Aukus defence pact between the US, UK and Australia is likely to drive China to step up its efforts to enhance its anti-submarine capabilities, military analysts have said.
The three-nation alliance will give Australia access to nuclear-powered submarine technology and is seen as a way of increasing the pressure on China in the Asia-Pacific.
China has outpaced the US in naval shipbuilding in recent years and has the major advantage of operating close to home in the western Pacific, but underwater warfare has been described as its “Achilles’ heel” by Donald Trump’s former deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger.
“The US has always maintained superiority over China in the undersea warfare domain, but in recent years, Beijing has been able to narrow the gap,” said Derek Grossman, senior defence analyst at the RAND Corporation think thank.
Grossman said the technology shared with Australia could give the key US ally access to vessels with “longer endurance – making them even more difficult for China to track, thereby increasing the probability of successful surprise attacks”.