Five days after President Joe Biden's call to Chinese President Xi Jinping that many thought was a conciliatory gesture, the US announced the secret military pact with the UK and Australia called Aukus, with a deal to supply eight nuclear submarines to Australia. It would make Australia the first country in the world with nuclear-powered submarines that didn't have weapons, highly suspicious to any intelligent power, especially given the US and the UK record of bombing nonaligned countries. France considered the deal a "backstabbing" by allies and temporarily withdrew her ambassadors from the US and Australia.

To downplay the criticisms that the US "defense" deal is a white man's club, Biden had his first in-person meeting with the non-Western Quad leaders Narendra Modi of India and Yoshihide Suga of Japan in the White House to line up against China.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Joseph ‘Joe’ Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson COLLAGE BY IDSI
French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Joseph ‘Joe’ Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson COLLAGE BY IDSI

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