Discussions for Canada Joining AUKUS

Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair is discussing Canada’s potential membership of AUKUS, a partnership between Australia, United Kingdom and United States, to tackle the increasing threat of China`s military influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Canada`s membership would include discussing new military technologies, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, according to Reuters. According to U.S. News & World Report, “Canada is looking for a bigger security role in Asia and has made forging deeper ties with Japan and South Korea a priority. As its defence commitments expand at home and overseas the country is expanding military spending.” 

This expenditure would include Canada’s participation in AUKUS. The organization has two pillars. According to the Council On Foreign Relations, “Pillar I revolves around the acquisition and development of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy; and Pillar II calls for collaboration on advanced capabilities that will involve technology and information sharing.”

China is expectedly concerned with the expansion of AUKUS. “China, a vocal critic of the pact [AUKUS], said in April that adding new members would destabilise the region,” Reuters reported. China is also convinced that the extension of AUKUS is dangerous for the region. “The establishment of the so-called trilateral security partnership between the United States, Britain and Australia is essentially to provoke military confrontation in the region through military cooperation in small circles,” Zhu Fenglian said, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, according to Reuters.

China’s Growing Influence in the Asia-Pacific Region 

China’s military has been a growing threat in the Asia-Pacific region and several countries in the sphere are expressing concern. Like Canada, Japan has also expressed interest in AUKUS to counter China’s influence in the area. According to MarineLink, a news organization for the shipping industry, “He [Blair] and [Japanese Defense Minister Minoru] Kihara also discussed Chinese incursions into Japanese territory that last month prompted Tokyo to lodge protests with Beijing.”

South Korea is showing interest in joining the partnership as well. “South Korea has held talks about joining part of the AUKUS defence deal between the U.S., Britain and Australia, Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said on Wednesday, only weeks after the pact said it would consider including Japan,” according to Reuters. Next month, a meeting in Italy among the G7 defense ministers regarding concerns over Chinese military aggression into Japanese territory may be discussed, Blair said, according to Japan Today.