Australian Trade Minister calls for a French meeting, confidently a line of submarines will not upset EU negotiations

Canberra-Australia’s Trade Minister Dan Tehan said on Monday that he would seek talks with French counterparts to ease tensions on Canberra’s decision to abandon the $ 40 billion submarine deal.

Australia ended its contract with the French Navy group last week to build a fleet of regular submarines, and instead used US and British technology to enter into a trilateral security partnership with both countries, at least. Announced to build eight nuclear submarines.

France was furious and said relations with Australia and the United States were at stake. Recalling the ambassadors of both countries, he expressed concern that Australia would bid on a free trade agreement with Europe.

Prime Minister Taehan is confident that the line will not spill over and affect trade, but calls for a meeting with French responders while in Paris for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development meeting in October. Added.

“While I’m in France, I’m very keen on touching French opponents and bass,” Tehan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

Australian and EU officials will negotiate the next round of trade agreements on October 12.

Bilateral tensions between Australia and France occur when Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits Washington later this week for a meeting for quad group countries, including India, Japan, the United States and Australia.

France was the loudest critic of Australia’s defense pact, but China is seen as the catalyst for Australia’s decision to build a new submarine fleet, and has also blamed the trilateral agreement.

Relations between Australia and China have deteriorated in the last two years after Australia banned China’s tech giant Huawei from engaging in early 5G broadband networks and called for an investigation into the origin of the new coronavirus.

China responded by blocking the import of Australian goods and suspended all ministerial communications.

But Mr Taehan said China must work with Australia if it wants to participate in a comprehensive and progressive agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade zone.

Colin Packham

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