SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A political scientist says President Joe Biden’s planned visit to San Diego with the prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Australia could shape the future of security across the Pacific Ocean.
The three world leaders are coming to San Diego next Monday to discuss the Australia – United Kingdom – United States (AUKUS) Partnership, the White House said.
“It’s kind of huge,” said Erik Gartzke, a professor of Political Science at UC San Diego. “This is a very, very important meeting that’s going to shape the future of security across the world’s largest ocean expanse, and it’s happening here in San Diego and that’s not an accident.”
ABC News is reporting the three world leaders will announce the purchase agreement for up to five Virginia-class submarines.
When the AUKUS Partnership was announced in 2021, President Biden along with the then prime ministers of Australia and the U.K. agreed to come up with a way for Australia to get nuclear-powered submarines by March 2023.
National security expert Ron Bee said the submarines, which cost an estimated $3 billion each to build, are powerful and can attack fast using torpedoes. He said they are also useful for intelligence purposes.
“This is in response to the several things the Chinese are doing in the South China Sea building up their military presence, and their threats against Taiwan have been duly noted.”
Bee said the prime ministers will be able to see firsthand that the U.S. is a global naval powerhouse when they fly over San Diego, given the military’s vast presence visible from the sky.
It’s both Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak's first time visiting the U.S.
Bee said this trip is not going to be without controversy.
“The French are very unhappy about this because they were in the market to sell submarines to the Australians, too, and the Chinese are very unhappy about this... because this suggests that there’s a build up in arms of the Pacific Ocean, which they don’t want to see.”
The general manager of Shakespeare’s Pub on India Street is hoping to convince U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to come in for a pint. She said she would tweet him to give him a formal invite.
“We nearly got Prince Harry a few years ago. We had the secret service in checking the place out. He was coming in to watch a rugby game, but unfortunately, he went elsewhere,” Nikki McEwan-Beatty said.
