US Senate Passes AUKUS Legislation, Set to Counter ‘Unprecented Threats’ by Beijing

The U.S. Senate has given the green light to the AUKUS legislation that will authorize the sale of at least three Virginia-class submarines to Australia. The move comes as the AUKUS alliance aims to curb Beijing’s encroachment in the Indo-Pacific. On the evening of Dec. 13, a total of 87 senators voted in favor of the annual $886 billion Defence Authorization Bill, which will then move to the House of Representatives on Dec. 14. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the AUKUS deal was a “game changer” and would “critically approve President Biden’s trilateral U.S., UK, and Australian nuclear submarine agreement.”...