Albanese confident US powerbrokers will keep faith in AUKUS

The PM is directly lobbying members of US Congress to hold the line in supporting the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.

Anthony Albanese is directly lobbying members of US congress to hold the line in supporting the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal as it comes under criticism in America, calling the pact essential in strengthening Australia’s defence capabilities.

In an interview with The Australian on his priorities for the year, the Prime Minister also vowed to continue improving relations with China in 2023 after his successful meetings with Beijing’s paramount leader, Xi Jinping, last year. While the government is moving to improve relations with China, it is also focused on bolstering military capacity to respond to Beijing’s attempts to exert strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the first quarter of the year, the government will choose a preferred nuclear submarine partner under the AUKUS deal and ­release a review into military capabilities, led by former defence minister Stephen Smith and former ADF chief Angus Houston.

Mr Albanese said he was confident US President Joe Biden would stick with the AUKUS agreement despite domestic political pressure.

“I’m confident that this is a good agreement, not just for Australia, but a good agreement for the United States and for the United Kingdom,” Mr Albanese said.

“It is in our common interest that by strengthening each other’s defence capacities, you end up with a much greater outcome for all three countries as well as collectively.”

Earlier this month, heads of the US Senate armed services committee warned Mr Biden the AUKUS deal could become “a zero-sum game” for the allocation of “scarce, highly advanced” US ­nuclear boats.

The nuclear submarines deal has come under scrutiny in the US because they don’t have the capabilities to add the contract to its under strain workforce.

Democrat Jack Reed and ­Republican James Inhofe called for a “sober assessment” of the agreement between the US, Australia and Britain, and explicitly warned against selling Australia submarines off the production line to meet the capacity gap that Canberra faces, with newly built boats not expected to be operational until the 2040s. In a leaked letter to Mr Biden, Senator Reed and Senator Inhofe warned that the AUKUS pact risked stretching the nation’s industrial base “to breaking point”.

The Prime Minister said he was engaging with members of the US congress over the deal, and ­declared the issues being raised at home and abroad were “legitimate” and being worked through.

“The concerns that were raised about workforce capacity and sovereign capability are legitimate ones that I would expect people in the United States in significant positions to raise, just like we are making sure that Australia’s national sovereignty is looked after as well,” Mr Albanese said.

“I’m sure our counterparts in the United Kingdom (are doing) the same thing.

“I have met members of the Senate, in the congress, here in Australia and engaged with them directly and in a really positive manner. Australia’s standing of course is, I think, very important.  “We are reliable partners and that is why that engagement is important.

“I’m confident going forward that we will have a positive outcome.”

Mr Albanese’s strident defence of the AUKUS agreement also comes after former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Paul Keating have warned it could limit Australia’s sovereignty.

Mr Turnbull last week said it was being overlooked that ­“nuclear-powered submarines to be acquired from the US will not be able to be operated or maintained without the supervision of the US Navy”.

“The submarine element of the agreement delays vital capabilities and diminishes Australian sovereignty,” he said.

Mr Albanese has told his American counterparts to resists public pressure and fulfil its contract.

Mr Albanese said the government was considering the “most effective way forward” to plug the capability gap until the new submarines are built in Australia, after Peter Dutton revealed the former government was considering buying two Virginia-class submarines from the US by 2030.

In the long-ranging interview, the Prime Minister also said ­important strategic meetings in 2023 would include his visit to India in March and Australia hosting a Quad leaders meeting mid-year.

Mr Albanese said there was no scheduled visit to China this year but he was committed to improving the relationship.

“I have no scheduled visit there at this point in time,” the Prime Minister said.

“I think there’s been a lot of positive engagement with the discussions that I was able to have with President Xi.

“But also I had informal discussions with Premier Li as well and I want to see co-operation with China where we can.

“We will disagree where we must but we will continue to engage in our national interest.”

Action on climate change is also set to play a central role in the Albanese government’s foreign policy this year, especially when it comes to improving ties in the Pacific region.

“We made steps to improve the relationship with our major trading partner, China, in 2022. We want to see further improvement in the relationship,” he said.

“The precondition for engagement internationally is our action on climate change.”

In a visit to Papua New Guinea last week, Mr Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape vowed to sign a new security pact by June.

The treaty will follow a similar pact signed with Vanuatu in ­December and is part of the government’s push to limit Chinese influence in the region.