Fear fuelling China’s fury over Australia’s submarine acquisition

Australia’s submarine acquisition was a Pacific region game changer that Beijing fears would now outclass its own fleet.

Australia’s acquisition of the Virginia-class submarine was a regional game changer that had pushed Beijing to new levels of fury because it outmatched them undersea, a former top defence and intelligence director has said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will join counterparts British PM Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden on Monday to announce the details of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program under the AUKUS pact.

It is expected to be a two-stage program, Australia acquiring five Virginia class submarines from mid 2030s and at a future date join the British in a newly designed Astute class with a US combat system to be partly built in South Australia.

But former Defence Intelligence Organisation director and Defence deputy secretary Paul Dibb said there was little doubt the Virginia was a “world beater” and its acquisition infuriated China.

Beijing has already protested the acquisition as creating a regional arms race and even lodged a complaint with the Atomic Energy Agency branding it an act of nuclear proliferation as it accused AUKUS of promoting “confrontation”.

Former Defence Intelligence Organisation director and Defence deputy secretary Paul Dibb described the Virginia was a “world beater” and its acquisition has infuriated China. Pictures: Ray Strange

Emeritus Professor Dibb, now at the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said the anger was because of its calibre.

“Why are the Chinese so angry and destructive about this acquisition? We all know its rubbish that it would involve nuclear proliferation,” he said.

“The government, previous and current, has made it very clear that we will abide by that non-proliferation treaty and we will have and welcome rigorous inspections in that regard.

“I suspect the real anger is they know very well that the American nuclear attack submarine currently the Virginia is infinitely quieter, infinitely harder to detect than their own very noisy nuclear attack submarines. That’s what angers them, it makes them more vulnerable.

“And by the way who proliferated nuclear weapons into both North Korea and especially Pakistan? Answer – China and so it’s a typical China two-faced point of view.”

Crew members stand topside during the commissioning of the USS Illinois. Picture: Michelle McLoughlin

Em Prof Dibb said all American nuclear boats usually had a commander with a degree in nuclear reactors and such issues, how the boats will be crewed and commanded, would take intense negotiating.

He said the Americans would have to send “several hundred” experts to Australia for the transition and the workforce here would also be significantly huge.

The Virginia-class attack submarine Montana (SSN 794) conducts initial sea trials in the Atlantic Ocean in February 2022. Picture: US Navy

The man tasked with heading the 19-month long task force for Australia’s acquisition, Royal Australian Navy Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, said a workforce of more than 10,000 workers would have to be created to operate, maintain and oversee its arrival into service.

The cost is expected to also be more than $100 billion.

The new joint AUKUS-class submarine would be assembled in Adelaide and enter service in the 2040s.

Originally published as Fear fuelling China’s fury over Australia’s submarine acquisition