Nuclear Submarines Between Australia and Fiji

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is meeting with his Fijian counterpart in Suva today, Wednesday, to clarify Canberra's message that its $245 billion nuclear-powered submarine program does not contradict its commitments to nuclear non-proliferation. Australia will purchase three American Virginia-class submarines in the early part of the next decade before transitioning to the production of a new AUKUS submarine based on a British design starting in 2040. British and American nuclear-powered submarines are set to be deployed in Australia starting in 2027. China has stated that the AUKUS program violates a nuclear non-proliferation agreement, a claim that Australia denies. Australia has confirmed that the submarines will not carry nuclear weapons. Australia is a party to a treaty establishing a nuclear-free zone alongside 12 other countries in the South Pacific region, including Fiji, a region that is particularly sensitive regarding nuclear weapons due to the fallout from American and French nuclear tests.