On May 31, the Royal Malaysian Air Force said fighter jets had been scrambled after 16 Chinese military aircraft approached Malaysia’s coastline in Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo.
The aircraft, which included a large Xian Y-20 military transporter, did not enter Malaysia’s territorial airspace. But China got pretty close, crossing into what Kuala Lumpur refers to as the Malaysia Maritime Zone (MMZ) where aircraft movements are monitored and in some cases foreign planes asked to identify themselves.
The PLA's aggressive posture is extending beyond Taiwan and North East Asia. This recent event a good example, perhaps putting into context the challenges of an aggressive China and out of date bilateral arrangements such as the
Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA). China's rise is becoming aggressive and within the region few countries are in a position to resist. AUKUS is a deliberate and defensive counter to China's aggressive rise. Australia is not seeking to fight China alone and any confrontation with Australia will most likely involve the US and perhaps now the UK. The scenario of Tindal being "bombed" seems ludicrous when within the next few years, it won't be far away from being a joint facility supporting USAF bomber operations.
AUKUS isn't just about submarines. Australia seeks to build weapons under license such as the Tomahawk missile and connecting this production directly into logistic channels of the US & UK.
AUKUS is a significant strategic shift, shoring up a traditional alliance in the face of an aggressive China, committing the UK and the US to the region with more military rotations in Australia in addition to technology transfers. It will have ramifications for other nations and strengthen regional cooperation. Japan and India for example.The French reaction is problematic, bordering on a tantrum, considering their vested interests in the French Pacific. China's reaction is as expected at the moment though interesting where it goes? A significant alliance of this sort would not have been expected and if it motivation for a more pragmatic and cooperative response from smaller regional players, the CCP will need to go back to the drawing board.