Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating has sharply criticized the AUKUS pact, a military alliance between Australia, the UK, and the US, arguing that it compromises Australia’s sovereignty and makes it a target for China. Keating claims that the increased US military presence under AUKUS effectively turns Australia into a “51st state” of the US, stripping it of its strategic autonomy. He warns that by aligning closely with the US, which is embroiled in tensions with China over Taiwan, Australia is endangering itself and provoking unnecessary risks. Keating believes that without the aggressive stance of the US, Australia would be safer and less entangled in international disputes.
Keating, who was Australia’s Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996, recently expressed his worries in an interview. He doubts that Australia benefits from being part of AUKUS and thinks it may actually be giving up its right to make its own decisions about foreign and defense policies. He believes the US is using the pact to increase its military presence around Australia, effectively making Australia less independent in its strategic choices.
Keating suggested that the real goal of AUKUS is to give the US more control over Australia’s military affairs. He even went as far as to say that Australia might end up being treated like a US state, the 51st one.
You see, we’re going to get AUCUS, but we’re not going to get submarines. We’re going to get what Kurt Campbell, the Under Secretary of State, said: “I’ve got these guys tied up for 40 years.”
In the American sense, AUCUS is turning Australia into suckers, locking us in for 40 years with American bases all around us. According to today’s report, they’re going to put American bases all over Australia.
American bases, not Australian bases, all over Australia. So AUCUS is, in American terms, military control of Australia. So what happened? I’ll tell you this.
The Albanese government and its policies are going to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States. Australia is perfectly capable of defending itself. We don’t need to be a pair of boots sticking out of America’s ass.
Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating
The former prime minister also warned that this increased military presence could make Australia a target for China. He argued that if Australia weren’t aligned with the US, it might not face such threats. In his view, the US’s actions are fueling tensions with China, especially regarding Taiwan—a self-ruled island that China sees as part of its territory.
Keating also pointed out that the issue of Taiwan is not crucial to Australia’s interests, and China does not have plans to attack Australia. He compared the situation to China getting involved if Tasmania, a part of Australia, wanted to separate.
These comments come after Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited Washington to discuss the AUKUS pact and a new deal for nuclear materials, which will support Australia in building its own nuclear submarines by the 2030s.
China and Russia have both criticized AUKUS. China believes the pact increases the risk of nuclear weapons spreading and is stuck in a “Cold War” mindset, which could lead to an arms race. Russia also expressed concerns, arguing that such military alliances are harmful to regional security.
