The US nuclear submarine USS Connecticut struck an undersea mountain in the South China Sea on Oct 2, 2021, sparking concerns over the safety of nuclear submarines passing through South-East Asian waters. – Photos: Wikimedia Commons
THE 2021 announcement of Aukus shocked many South-East Asian countries, China and even France.
The trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States aims to establish legal order and counterbalance China’s hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.
