The French nuclear attack submarine Emeraude recently made a port call at Guam’s U.S. naval base. It’s a welcome show of French support for the U.S.-led efforts to resist Chinese imperialism in the South China Sea.
France is well aware that China will react poorly to this deployment, as with Emeraude’s recent submarine warfare exercise alongside the Australian navy. But in a break with French naval protocol, which generally avoids commenting on submarine deployments, Emeraude’s visit to Guam has been publicized. That proves this is a calculated signal to Beijing that the French government is increasingly concerned by China’s South China Sea strategy.
But this isn’t just for show. I believe Emeraude is conducting anti-ship and anti-submarine exercises with one or more of the four U.S. nuclear attack submarines assigned to Guam’s Submarine Squadron 15. This is no small matter: The French submarine force is exceptionally capable.
The mission matters.
Claiming the near entirety of the South China Sea, and threatening any and all (foreign navy or fishing crews alike) who move through the sea, China’s activity is utterly unacceptable. What Beijing is doing is similar to that which Imperial Japan pursued in the 1930s. The intent, here, is to seize energy reserves for China’s sole use and hold trade routes hostage to deference to Beijing’s political authority. If allowed to succeed, China will increase the relative cost of competing export nations and shred a sacred principle of the post-World War II international order — namely, the principle that nations have the right to sail their ships through international waters without being intimidated by another power.
The United States needs to take note of this deployment.
While France doesn’t yet meet the 2%-of-GDP NATO defense spending target, we should be grateful for its willingness to engage in politically sensitive military operations alongside U.S. forces. That’s particularly true when it comes to operations that bear note for China. After all, as Australia is now finding, China is quick to impose economic costs on governments which refuse to do its bidding. While French President Emmanuel Macron’s record on China has been a patchy one from a U.S. perspective, this naval deployment is a positive step. And it strikes a contrast between France and Britain (which will deploy a new aircraft carrier to the South China Sea next year) and Germany. While Germany is taking tentative steps toward a more resolute military posture in the Indo-Pacific, it has only committed to an Indian Ocean naval deployment so far.
More of this, please.
