[20220125]IF10491_澳大利亚 .pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated January 25, 2022Australia Overview Australia is important to Congress because it is a key U.S. ally and trade and investment partner at a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific. The United States and Australia enjoy close people-to-people, trade and investment, political, cultural, intelligence, defense, and alliance relations. In recent years, as Australias relations with China have become strained, Australia and the United States have strengthened their partnership to address the geopolitical uncertainty in the region. This includes the announcement of the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) agreement, which is to provide Australia with nuclear propulsion technology for its next generation submarines. Ties between the United States, Australia, Japan, and India have been boosted by the developing Quadrilateral Security Dialogue known as the “Quad.” In addition, Australia signed a reciprocal access agreement with Japananother close U.S. allyin January 2022 designed to facilitate closer defense cooperation between the two nations. Background Australia was first inhabited between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago