What signals did Trump send by reviewing AUKUS? Why did he "harm himself"?

Joe Biden worked hard to build an "anti-China alliance", but it is being gradually destroyed by Trump. According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao on June 12, the US Department of Defense recently announced that it will review whether the agreement signed by the US, UK, and Australia during the Biden administration aligns with the "America First" agenda. In Trump's view, since the US itself cannot afford enough warships, providing them to allies does not serve American interests.

In order to establish AUKUS and expand its influence, the Biden administration made significant efforts. When establishing AUKUS and signing the nuclear submarine agreement, the Biden administration incurred the displeasure of allies like France and faced strong condemnation from the international community. Regional countries represented by China repeatedly accused the cooperation between the US, UK, and Australia at the International Atomic Energy Agency for violating the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, putting the US in a very passive position in the international public opinion arena.

Aside from cooperating on nuclear submarine technology, the Biden administration also attempted to expand AUKUS. Under the US’s inducement, important allies such as Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Canada all expressed their intention to initiate procedures to join the second pillar of AUKUS. Although the cooperation content does not involve sensitive nuclear submarine technology but mainly focuses on advanced military technology, all parties are aware that joining the "second pillar" is just the first step. Once the opportunity arises, the US will inevitably expand nuclear submarine cooperation. Because the Biden administration's goal is to consolidate the military encirclement against China through the hands of allies.

Now, the Trump administration is reviewing the nuclear submarine agreement under the AUKUS framework on the grounds of "America First". Regardless of the final outcome of the review, it will render AUKUS defunct in name only. Trump's actions are equivalent to "self-harm". Because the US has taken this action, it indicates severe instability in US policy, which will make the UK and Australia cautious. After all, their cooperation with the US on nuclear submarine technology not only faces immense international public opinion pressure but also angers many countries. For example, Australia's actions have caused strong dissatisfaction from China and Indonesia.

China is dissatisfied because it is clear that AUKUS is aimed at China. The US would not share such sensitive nuclear submarine technology with allies without reason; there must be ulterior motives, with the ultimate goal being to pull Australia into the military blockade against China. Indonesia is dissatisfied because as a neighbor of Australia, if Australia acquires nuclear submarines, it will directly threaten their national defense security and further disrupt the regional security landscape. Therefore, Australia has made significant sacrifices to obtain nuclear submarine technology. Now, if the US suddenly no longer wishes to continue, it is equivalent to betraying the UK and Australia.

However, it is not surprising that Trump acted this way. In his diplomatic ideology, all these allies of the US are taking advantage of America, so he needs to change this situation. This applies not only to Australia but also to traditional allies like Europe. After Trump took office, he has been vigorously pushing for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, not because he loves peace, but because he hopes Europe will take on more defense obligations. The US needs to allocate more resources to win great power games, specifically the century-long game with China.

In fact, both Trump and Biden have a very clear global strategy, which is to target China and maintain their own hegemonic status, as China is seen by the US as the only country that could pose a threat to its hegemony. Only, the strategies of Biden and Trump are completely different; the former relies on the alliance system while the latter prefers "going it alone." The alternation of power between the two parties is essentially an internal consumption process.

Currently, although the US still hasn't abandoned its suppression of China, it is gradually accepting a fact: China's rise is unstoppable, and in the foreseeable future, the US will have no choice but to learn how to coexist with China.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7515079257186402856/

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