After the collapse of the contract with France, Australia will now initially buy five nuclear-powered submarines from America. Australia's transition to nuclear boats has so far had an incalculable impact on the security architecture and thus on economic connections in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing had warned Australians several times against this step.

Christoph Hein

South Asia/Pacific business correspondent based in Singapore.

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The purchase and its terms are to be announced on Monday at the American naval base San Diego by US Prime Minister Joe Biden, his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak comes to the United States because Britain is to take over the construction of more boats as part of the trilateral security alliance Aukus. They will then be equipped with American technology. Given China's encroachment in the Indo-Pacific region, all three countries want to invest heavily in their defense power. In this way, trade routes across the Pacific, but also fishing grounds and mineral resources are to be secured.

Collapsed 50 billion deal with France

The first five boats belong to the Virginia Class. The later boats, which the British and Australians want to build together, will have a new design. From 2027, American nuclear boats will also call at the Western Australian port of Perth for the first time, where dozens were stationed during World War II to remain inaccessible to Japanese bombers.

The American boats will eventually replace the outdated Australian Collins class. Originally, the German manufacturer Thyssen-Krupp Marine Services had a good chance of building conventional submarines in Adelaide and Perth. Then, at the last minute, the French ousted him, but under the previous Australian government, to the great annoyance of President Emmanuel Macron, they lost their contract for an estimated more than 50 billion dollars.

In doing so, the Australians are taking a double turn – they are tying themselves even more closely to their trade and security partners America and Great Britain. And they are relying on nuclear energy for the first time. Although about a third of the world's uranium reserves are said to lie in the soil of the Fifth Continent, Australia only operates the small reactor Lucas Heights near Sydney for medical purposes. Since 1998, uranium has been officially banned as an energy source in Australia – the country generates its electricity with its own coal, gas and water. The conservatives, however, have long pushed for the use of nuclear energy. The purchase of nuclear submarines will play into their hands in the long run.