French envoy to Australia: Deceitful sub deal raises risks

By MASHA MACPHERSON
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France’s ambassador to Australia says Australian officials lied to his face and raised the risk of confrontation in Asia by crafting a secret submarine deal with the U.S. and Britain. He said in an interview with The Associated Press that the deal undermined trust in democratic alliances. He says France is determined to protect its interests in the Indo-Pacific region, and to put “muscle” into Europe’s geopolitical strategy toward an increasingly assertive China. Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault is heading back to his post in Canberra after being recalled to Paris in an unprecedented diplomatic scandal.