[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 AUKUS

  Mr. President, now, on AUKUS, yesterday, in San Diego, President 
Biden joined his counterparts from the United Kingdom and Australia, 
and he announced the next steps in a historic arrangement known as 
AUKUS.
  The President's announcement is a bold and generational investment to 
create a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to counter President 
Xi and the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the Pacific. And 
AUKUS, in general, will be a critical part of ensuring stability in the 
region. I applaud President Biden for recognizing the need to forge 
ahead on this multinational partnership.
  During my recent codel overseas, our discussions with world leaders 
stressed the need for the United States to continue deepening our 
security arrangements with our longstanding partners. At the same time, 
I made it clear that we also must expand and grow relationships with 
countries like India, which will play a major role in shaping global 
security and stability in the 21st century.
  And just like AUKUS serves as a bulwark in the Pacific, so will the 
quad powers of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, working 
together for democracy and stability in Asia.
  The United States will only stay ahead of President Xi and the 
Chinese Communist Party if we can bring other democracies of the world 
to partner with us--from India, Australia, Japan, the UK, and so many 
others. And India and Australia can be very important partners in 
containing President Xi and the CCP.
  So I remain committed to deepening our existing relationships and 
finding opportunities to build new ones, and I look forward to working 
on a bipartisan basis to advance them.