Nuclear tech agreement signed by US, UK, Australia comes into effect

Australia has sealed the deal with the United Kingdom and United States of America to allow the exchange of "sensitive naval nuclear propulsion" technology and information that will allow Australia to expand its naval capabilities with the addition of nuclear submarines to its fleet.

The AUKUS pact was signed on Monday by Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton as well as various diplomats from the countries involved. The trilateral security pact will allow Australia to obtain eight state-of-the-art, nuclear-powered submarines capable of stealthy, long-range missions. It also provides for sharing cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum and unspecified undersea capabilities.

The security pact will also allow America to expand its influence in the Pacific to counter growing Chinese influence by providing backing to its allies in the area. President Joe Biden remarked that the AUKUS pact would promote a "mutual defence posture" that would aid all countries involved in the long run.

The deal was first announced in September, but led to backlash from France as it was originally slated to sign its own diesel-electric submarine deal (worth $65 billion) with Australia. France withdrew its ambassadors from Australia and the US in protest over the 'backdoor negotiations' which saw Australia shift to signing the deal with the US at the last minute.

China has responded negatively to the news of the pact and has described it as an "irresponsible move" that could damage stability in the region.