MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia has made a “huge” diplomatic error by ditching a multi-billion-dollar order for French submarines in favour of an alternative deal with the United States and Britain, France’s envoy to Canberra said on Saturday. “It will provoke other powers to also act more aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea,” the Malaysian prime minister’s office said, without mentioning China. Beijing’s foreign policy in the region has become increasingly assertive, particularly its maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea, some of which conflict with Malaysia’s own claims. ‘DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT’U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said France was a “vital ally” and that the United States would work in the coming days to resolve the differences. The row between Paris and Canberra marks the lowest point in their relations since 1995, when Australia protested France’s decision to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific and recalled its ambassador for consultations.

Source: MetroXpress September 18, 2021 07:30 UTC