Screengrab shows McFeeters (top, second left) in a question-answer session with members of Sarawak media during the ‘Sarawak Press Roundtable’ conducted via Google Meet.
KUCHING (Oct 2): The tripartite alliance between Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) is not about nuclear arms at all, says US Ambassador to Malaysia Brian D McFeeters.
According to him, the pact is actually a continuous one as the US, the UK and Australia have been cooperating for over 70 years.
“We (US) have various ongoing agreements with these countries.
“AUKUS focuses on not only submarines – you know, the big news item was Australia would receive US nuclear propulsion technology for submarines; so it’s not about nuclear arms submarines at all,” he said during a virtual ‘Sarawak Press Roundtable with US Ambassador to Malaysia’ held via Google Meet on Friday.
The session was run in conjunction with McFeeters’ five-day virtual trip to Sarawak, which kicked off on Monday.
Brian D McFeeters
He said in terms of nuclear propulsion submarines, it would be a 10-year process of ‘working that out’.
“But it (AUKUS) goes beyond that.
“It is about cooperating on technologies that are increasingly important in the region; cybersecurity, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and quantum computing – all of these technologies of the future so that the countries in the region can cooperate better looking ahead.
“It’s not about nuclear arms at all,” he pointed out.
The partnership, which was announced mid-last month, took many countries off guard, especially members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had, in a statement on Sept 18, expressed his concern about AUKUS having the potential to spark a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region.
He was also worried about its likelihood to provoke other powers to act aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea.
Ismail Sabri stressed that as a member of Asean, Malaysia had always subscribed to the principle of maintaining the region as a ‘Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality’ (ZOPFAN).
In this regard, McFeeters said: “The US Government sees it (AUKUS) as another way of stabilising and ensuring security for the Indo-Pacific.”
Moreover, he also pointed out a number of key programmes reflecting the strong ties between Malaysia and the US in the field of security.
He cited Sarawak hosting of the Pacific Partnership in 2019 as an example of this relationship, describing the programme as a capacity-building mission focusing on humanitarian disaster preparedness where the US would bring in its military expertise to work with Malaysia.
The Pacific Partnership was set up in response to one of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters, the December 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of South and Southeast Asia. Over the years, the mission has evolved from its emphasis on direct care, to an operation focused on enhancing partnerships through host nation subject-matter expert and civil-military exchanges.
“We also have other security-related assistance (such as) working with the Royal Malaysia Customs promoting Sarawak’s border security,” said McFeeters.
In a press statement released by the US Embassy in Malaysia in connection with the ‘Sarawak Press Roundtable’, it stated that through the US Maritime Security Initiative, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) would soon receive three upgraded CN235 planes.
“The upgrade will increase RMAF maritime patrolling capabilities in the South China Sea.
“The first aircraft delivery is expected to arrive in Kuching in the coming months,” it said.