His daily press conference on a winter COVID - 19 plan held in Downing Street Briefing Room in London, UK, September 14, 2021. LONDON, Sept 16 Reuters : The relationship between Australia and the United States is rock solid, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday when asked about a new defence pact with France that sinks an existing French-Australian submarine deal.
France has reacted angrily to the news of the 'AUKUS' partnership on Wednesday which will help Australia acquire French-designed U.S. nuclear submarines and scrap a $40 billion U.S. nuclear program. Johnson played down any row that was asked in parliament about relations with France.
The relationship with France, our military relationship with France was rock solid, he said.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with the French, whether in Estonia, where we are running a joint operation against terrorists in Mali, or when in the Sahel, where we have the largest NATO operation. The missile & defense deal has also angered China, which says it will severely damage regional peace and stability. Keir Starmer was asked by opposition Labour Party leader Johnson how he could ensure the move did not worsen Britain's relations with China.
Johnson responded: I think it's important for the House to understand that AUKUS is not intended to be adversarial to any other power. It merely reflects the close relationship we have with the United States and Australia.