Why France-US Relations Matter for the Pacific: Increased French-U.S. cooperation in the region should be welcome news to Pacific Island states

Abstract

The December 1 meeting and joint statement between French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted the new urgency in Franco-U.S. efforts to emphasize their status as Pacific powers. It seemingly puts to rest the year-long fallout from the Australian submarine contractual dispute, when Australia scuttled a French contract for conventional submarines in favor of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS defense pact with the United States and the United Kingdom. The handling of the incident, which Biden characterized as "clumsy" on the part of the United States, damaged France-U.S. relations and led France to briefly recall its ambassador from Washington.