Keating warns Aukus pact risks drawing Australia into a US-China war

Former Australian prime minister Paul Keating has renewed his criticism of the Aukus submarine pact, arguing it locks Australia into any future war between the United States and China — a conflict he said America "would certainly lose."

According to the Guardian, Keating said that in such a scenario the US could "scuttle itself back to San Diego," leaving Australia to face retribution from China on its own.

Keating's remarks followed comments this week from Republican congressman Michael McCaul, a co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Australia caucus and a self-described China hawk, who said "Australia is a target" for adversaries of the United States.

McCaul, however, argued that deeper military integration with the United States would make Australia safer rather than more vulnerable, according to the report.

Keating has long been a vocal critic of the Aukus agreement, under which Australia is set to acquire nuclear-powered submarines with assistance from the United States and the United Kingdom. He has previously said the pact undermines Australian sovereignty by tying the country's defence posture to US strategic decisions in the Indo-Pacific.

The exchange highlights ongoing debate in Australia over the strategic and political implications of the trilateral security pact, particularly regarding the country's relationship with China, its largest trading partner.