Latest news with #AUKUSPillarII
The Diplomat
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
New Zealand Tightens Defense Ties With Australia
The Luxon government is shoring up its relationship with its only ally, while also expanding its role in security groupings like NATO and the Five Eyes. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met in Queenstown, New Zealand, on August 9 to discuss closer cooperation between their militaries. This meeting, following the December 2024 bilateral meeting between their defense ministers, took place in the context of Australia and New Zealand feeling more directly threatened by China. In February, a Chinese naval flotilla fired weapons in the Tasman Sea and the Chinese naval mission partially circumnavigated Australia. In the section on security and resilience, the joint statement recognized that the two countries 'face the most unpredictable and dangerous strategic environment in decades and affirmed the critical role of [their] alliance.' In that context, the two leaders welcomed the Joint Statement on Closer Defense Relations from last December and noted that New Zealand was still consulting about potential future collaboration opportunities under AUKUS Pillar II. The joint statement expressed specific concerns about threats from foreign interference, espionage, economic coercion, malicious cyber activity, and transnational crime. It also clarified that a cyberattack would constitute an armed attack under the ANZUS treaty. The two prime ministers also commended their countries' intensifying defense cooperation and integration of Anzac forces – including star-ranked officer exchanges and an increased tempo of exercises, operations, and presence together in the Indo-Pacific. They noted the alignment of Australia's National Defense Strategy and New Zealand's to-be-confirmed Defense Capability Plan to drive interoperability through combined procurement and co-sustainment of common platforms and systems. These steps will 'better position us to promote our shared security, deter actions inimical to our interests, and respond with decisive force if necessary,' the joint statement said. As others have pointed out, perhaps the most significant development out of the joint statement is the passing reference to the ANZUS treaty. The New Zealand-United States leg of the Australia-New Zealand-United States (ANZUS) alliance was suspended in 1980s due to Wellington's refusal to admit U.S. naval vessels that were nuclear-powered or might be carrying nuclear weapons. Although ANZUS is the basis of continued Australia-New Zealand bilateral security relations (as well as Australia-United States bilateral security relations), 'ANZUS' has been rarely referenced by name in New Zealand. Euan Graham also noted the lack of 'explicit caveats attached to Pillar I' of AUKUS in the joint statement. He argued that this suggests 'the Luxon government will approach Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines… pragmatically and in a low-key manner.' As Alex Bristow of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute noted, however, the joint statement has 'not reset the nuclear clock.' Although New Zealand in recent years has allowed port visits by conventionally powered and armed U.S. naval vessels, anti-nuclear sentiment is still strong. Bristow pointed out that Luxon's predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, made clear that Wellington's nuclear ban will covers Australia's new nuclear-powered submarines, even if they are only conventionally armed. The discussion between Albanese and Luxon last week was bilateral and put a spotlight on cyber issues. As Bristow argued, however, any discussion of deterring China will eventually need to involve the United States and discuss thorny nuclear issues. At his speech to the Lowy Institute in Sydney today, Luxon mentioned 'ANZUS' by name again and shared his desire to strengthen New Zealand by engaging with the world, saying: 'my government is bringing more energy, more urgency, and a sharper focus to our external engagement.' Luxon's words are backed by actions, as his government has engaged with not only Australia and the United States, but also China, India, Japan, Southeast Asian countries, and the Pacific Island countries. With regards to New Zealand-United States relations, Luxon mentioned annual foreign ministers talks and a Technology Dialogue. 'Strategically, we are strongly supportive of the indispensable role played by the United States in the region, and the broader array of alliances and partnerships that buttress the region's prosperity and security,' he affirmed. On AUKUS, Luxon clarified, 'New Zealand is not involved in Pillar I of AUKUS' – the part of the pact that centers on nuclear-power submarines. 'Australia understands that our nuclear policy remains unchanged,' Luxon added. However, he once again raised the prospect of New Zealand joining Pillar II,' which 'involves cooperation on advanced technologies.' 'New Zealand is exploring with the AUKUS partners how we could potentially participate in Pillar II,' Luxon said, 'including to understand what this means for our focus on ensuring interoperability.' Beyond AUKUS and ANZUS, Luxon was the only leader of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) to attend the NATO summit this year after U.S. strikes on Iran led to last-minute cancellations by Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Luxon is also more publicly supportive of the Five Eyes group. Alongside this diplomacy, in April, the prime minister announced that New Zealand would double defense spending to more than 2 percent within eight years. Judith Collins, New Zealand's defense minister, expressed a desire for New Zealand to raise defense spending even higher than 2 percent, but did not specify by how much or when. Unlike with other allies, including Australia, the U.S. administration has not made any demands on New Zealand yet. New Zealand is also building new relationships in the region. A day before the Albanese-Luxon summit, Japanese navel vessels docked in Wellington for the first time in almost 90 years. The ceremonial visit brought together two Indo-Pacific countries that each only have one formal ally: New Zealand has Australia, and Japan has the United States. In July, New Zealand officials announced that they were beginning work on a defense logistics agreement with Japan to make Japan-New Zealand military cooperation easier.
West Australian
08-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Anthony Albanese's China visit: Prime Minister set to travel to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu from Saturday
Anthony Albanese has confirmed his visit to China from Saturday, when he is heading to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. The Prime Minister is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang for the annual bilateral leaders' dialogue during the trip that will span nearly a week. Trade is expected to be high on the agenda, with these meetings the first since China lifted its final barriers on Australian exports. The ban on Australian lobsters was lifted in December. 'China's an important trading partner for Australia – 25 per cent of our exports go to China. What that means is jobs, and one of the things that my government prioritises is jobs,' Mr Albanese said on Tuesday. 'What we have done is to get rid of the more than $20 billion of impediments on goods that were stopped from going to China. 'It's made an enormous difference … products like wine and barley have not just bounced back, they've bounced back higher than they were before.' This will be the fourth time Mr Albanese has met Mr Xi. The talks come as uncertainty continues around US President Donald Trump's tariffs. The US President has publicly issued letters he has sent to several countries, including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa and Serbia, informing them he will lift the rate of tariffs imposed on them from 10 per cent to a 'reciprocal' level from August 1. Australia, which has a trade surplus with the US, does not expect to be hit with anything higher than the 10 per cent base rate. China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, this week called for Australia to expand its trade deal with his country to include greater cooperation on artificial intelligence. Mr Albanese brushed off questions about his approach to this, saying Australia would determine its own policy. Australia is working with the US and UK to cooperate on developing AI and advanced military capabilities as part of AUKUS Pillar II.
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Australian spy boss says 3 foreign governments plotted to harm people in Australia
An Australian spy agency had discovered three foreign governments plotting to physically harm people living in Australia, a security boss said on Wednesday. Mike Burgess, Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the nation's main domestic spy agency known as ASIO, did not name the countries in his latest annual address outlining threats to the country. One government attempted to trick a human rights advocate into traveling from Australia to a third country where plotters planned to injure or kill their target. ASIO intervened to prevent the travel. 'In a small number of cases, we held grave fears for the life of the person being targeted,' Burgess said in a speech at ASIO headquarters in the national capital Canberra. Another government planned to harm or kill one or more people in Australia as part of a broader plot to eliminate critics around the world. Working with international security agencies, ASIO disrupted the operation at an early stage. In both cases, the plotters were offshore and beyond the reach of Australian law. Burgess didn't detail the third country's plot. Collaboration between ASIO and the US In a wide-ranging speech, Burgess revealed ASIO had alerted U.S. authorities to a 12-year-old boy plotting mass shootings in the United States. ASIO online operators found a self-professed neo-Nazi on a popular social networking site. The boy talked about live streaming a school shooting and then moving on to a church, synagogue or mosque. The Australian spy agency also discovered a cyber unit from an unnamed foreign government that targeted critical infrastructure networks in the U.S. The same unit routinely tried to explore and exploit Australia's networks, mapping systems to lay down malware or maintain access in the future. 'ASIO worked closely with our American counterpart to evict the hackers and shut down their global accesses, including nodes here in Australia,' Burgess said. Spies target Australia's AUKUS partnership with the US and UK Foreign spy agencies targeted Australia's AUKUS partnership with the U.S. and Britain that will deliver an Australian fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology. AUKUS is an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition to the submarine deal, AUKUS Pillar II involves cooperation on a wider range of security technologies including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonic systems. 'ASIO has identified foreign services seeking to target AUKUS to position themselves to collect on the capabilities, how Australia intends to use them, and to undermine the confidence of our allies," Burgess said. 'AUKUS will remain a priority target for intelligence collection, including by countries we consider friendly,' he said, without naming those countries.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australian spy boss says 3 foreign governments plotted to harm people in Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian spy agency had discovered three foreign governments plotting to physically harm people living in Australia, a security boss said on Wednesday. Mike Burgess, secretary-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the nation's main domestic spy agency known as ASIO, did not name the countries in his latest annual address outlining threats to the country. One government attempted to trick a human rights advocate into traveling from Australia to a third country where plotters planned to injure or kill their target. ASIO intervened to prevent the travel. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'In a small number of cases, we held grave fears for the life of the person being targeted,' Burgess said in a speech at ASIO headquarters in the national capital Canberra. Another government planned to harm or kill one or more people in Australia as part of a broader plot to eliminate critics around the world. Working with international security agencies, ASIO disrupted the operation at an early stage. In both cases, the plotters were offshore and beyond the reach of Australian law. Burgess didn't detail the third country's plot. Collaboration between ASIO and the US In a wide-ranging speech, Burgess revealed ASIO had alerted U.S. authorities to a 12-year-old boy plotting mass shootings in the United States. ASIO online operators found a self-professed neo-Nazi on a popular social networking site. The boy talked about live streaming a school shooting and then moving on to a church, synagogue or mosque. The Australian spy agency also discovered a cyber unit from an unnamed foreign government that targeted critical infrastructure networks in the U.S. The same unit routinely tried to explore and exploit Australia's networks, mapping systems to lay down malware or maintain access in the future. 'ASIO worked closely with our American counterpart to evict the hackers and shut down their global accesses, including nodes here in Australia,' Burgess said. Spies target Australia's AUKUS partnership with the US and UK Foreign spy agencies targeted Australia's AUKUS partnership with the U.S. and Britain that will deliver an Australian fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology. AUKUS is an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition to the submarine deal, AUKUS Pillar II involves cooperation on a wider range of security technologies including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonic systems. 'ASIO has identified foreign services seeking to target AUKUS to position themselves to collect on the capabilities, how Australia intends to use them, and to undermine the confidence of our allies," Burgess said. 'AUKUS will remain a priority target for intelligence collection, including by countries we consider friendly,' he said, without naming those countries.
Boston Globe
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Australian spy boss says 3 foreign governments plotted to harm people in Australia
'In a small number of cases, we held grave fears for the life of the person being targeted,' Burgess said in a speech at ASIO headquarters in the national capital Canberra. Another government planned to harm or kill one or more people in Australia as part of a broader plot to eliminate critics around the world. Working with international security agencies, ASIO disrupted the operation at an early stage. In both cases, the plotters were offshore and beyond the reach of Australian law. Advertisement Burgess didn't detail the third country's plot. Collaboration between ASIO and the US In a wide-ranging speech, Burgess revealed ASIO had alerted U.S. authorities to a 12-year-old boy plotting mass shootings in the United States. ASIO online operators found a self-professed neo-Nazi on a popular social networking site. The boy talked about live streaming a school shooting and then moving on to a church, synagogue or mosque. The Australian spy agency also discovered a cyber unit from an unnamed foreign government that targeted critical infrastructure networks in the U.S. The same unit routinely tried to explore and exploit Australia's networks, mapping systems to lay down malware or maintain access in the future. 'ASIO worked closely with our American counterpart to evict the hackers and shut down their global accesses, including nodes here in Australia,' Burgess said. Spies target Australia's AUKUS partnership with the US and UK Foreign spy agencies targeted Australia's AUKUS partnership with the U.S. and Britain that will deliver an Australian fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology. AUKUS is an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition to the submarine deal, AUKUS Pillar II involves cooperation on a wider range of security technologies including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonic systems. Advertisement 'ASIO has identified foreign services seeking to target AUKUS to position themselves to collect on the capabilities, how Australia intends to use them, and to undermine the confidence of our allies,' Burgess said. 'AUKUS will remain a priority target for intelligence collection, including by countries we consider friendly,' he said, without naming those countries.
