America’s great power rivalry against China is gaining momentum as the Pentagon plans to deploy a fleet of nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to northern Australia in what it calls a “signal provocation” to Beijing.
The purpose of this strategic development is to show that having bombers that could take off and potentially attack mainland China could be very important in sending a message to China that any of its actions over Taiwan would it could also extend further to Chinese inland.
The US documents detail the development and permanent stationing of up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, scheduled to be deployed at Tindal Air Force Base, south of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory. The air base will also receive $100 million in upgrades to its bomber maintenance and parking facilities, expected to be completed by 2026.
Australia is walking a “tightrope” that requires high-level, extremely careful diplomacy as it has to serve its top trading partner, China, and its top security partner, the US, while Washington puts pressure on Canberra and other countries. of the region to distance themselves from Beijing.
Recall that in addition to the bombers, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States recently announced a new security agreement known as AUKUS, which allows the Australian military to procure a fleet of nuclear submarines by 2040.
The expanding US military footprint in northern Australia shows Washington’s attempt to create a “circle of friends” of stealth bombers and fighter jets around China.
Notably, relations between the two countries have worsened since August, when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (California) and other members of Congress visited Taiwan (the Republic of China, or ROC) despite Beijing’s opposition. , which considers the breakaway province as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
In a departure from the “One China” policy of more than four decades, US President Joe Biden has repeatedly threatened to use military force in response to a Chinese invasion of the island.
Although Biden warned earlier this month that Russia’s attack on Ukraine brought the world closer to “Armageddon” than at any point since the Cuban Missile Crisis, the move of B-52 bombers to Australia further increases the global risk of nuclear war.
