CANBERRA: Australia’s shift to nuclear-powered submarines will assure its South Pacific neighbours of its commitment to regional security, Britain’s Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific said on Monday.

Australia will announce in March what type of submarine powered with US nuclear technology it wants to build under a deal with the United States and Britain revealed in September last year.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she expects the three nations to work closely together to deliver a fleet of eight submarines.

“It’s going to be a really exciting project and really importantly will assure, I think, not only for Australia, but for the Indo-Pacific region, for those Pacific islands that assurance that Australia’s commitment to their security is unassailable,” Trevelyan said.

The previous Australian government infuriated French President Emmanuel Macron by cancelling a contract for a French-built fleet of 12 conventionally-powered submarines worth 90 billion Australian dollars ($66 billion).

It opted instead for nuclear-powered versions. This month, Macron described Australia going nuclear as a “confrontation with China.”

Trevelyan said she disagreed with Macron’s stance that Australia should have stayed with the French contract.