Former Australian leader says submarine deal protects US

Canberra, Nov 10 (AP) Australia's deal to acquire submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology was aimed at protecting the United States from Chinese nuclear attack and had changed Australia-Sino relations, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said on Wednesday.

Keating, who led a center-left Labour Party government from 1991 until 1996, told the National Press Club that Australia's current conservative government treated France “appallingly” in September when it cancelled a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 million) contract to build an Australian fleet of 12 diesel-electric submarines.

Instead, Australia will acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines utilising U.S. technology under a new alliance with the United States and Britain.

Keating expected Australia's submarines would be based on the U.S. Virginia-class design rather than the smaller British Astute-class version.

“Eight submarines against China, when we get the submarine in 20 years' time, it'll be like throwing a handful of toothpicks at a mountain,” Keating said.

Australia's nuclear-propelled submarines would be designed to contain Chinese nuclear-armed submarines to shallow waters close to China's coast, Keating said.

“In other words, to stop the Chinese having a second-strike nuclear capability against the United States,” Keating said. “This changes our relationship” with China.

Keating sits on an advisory board to the China Development Bank, a state-owned institution that raises money for large infrastructure projects. His critics have described him as an apologist for Beijing, which has had a frosty relationship with Australia in recent years.

Keating was a Cabinet minister then prime minister in a Labour government that built the first of Australia's six Collins-class submarines, which were launched between 1990 and 2003.

France reacted angrily to Australia dumping the contract with majority state-owned Naval Group.

The French won the contract in 2016 with a plan for a conventionally-powered submarine based on a design for a nuclear-powered Shortfin Barracuda-class submarine.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government made the change because a conventional submarine would no longer meet Australia's evolving security needs.

Keating said the French could have provided a more modern nuclear-powered submarine than the Virginia-class, which was based on 1990s technology.

“If we were unhappy about the fact that we were having trouble trying to stuff a diesel engine into the hull of a French nuclear submarine, why didn't we at least inquire about their most modern nuclear submarine?” Keating asked.

Australian Ambassador to Washington, Arthur Sinodinos, this week told the Hudson Institute, a conservative U.S. think tank, that the new submarines would enable Australia to “project power” but should not be seen as a threat to China, The Australian newspaper reported on Wednesday. (AP) RS RS