Barbs keep flying in Australian subs row

French President Emmanuel Macron said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had lied to him over the cancellation of a submarine building contract in September, and indicated that more efforts were required to rebuild trust between the two countries.

"I don't think. I know," said Macron in response to a question on whether he thought that Morrison had lied to him.

In Rome for the G20 summit, the two leaders were meeting for the first time since Australia scrapped the multibillion-dollar deal with France as part of a new security alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States unveiled in September.

The AUKUS alliance, which could give Australia access to nuclear-powered submarines, caught Paris off guard, prompting it to recall ambassadors from Washington and Canberra amid accusations that France had been betrayed.

In comments to Australian reporters at the summit on Sunday, Macron told them that he has a lot of respect for Australia. "I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line, and consistently, with this value," he said.

Morrison said in a media conference later that same day that he had not lied, and had previously explained to Macron that conventional submarines would no longer meet Australia's needs. He added that the process of repairing ties had begun.

In response to the matter, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that Canberra should not only respond to questions from its partners in an honest manner but also squarely face concerns arising from the international community.

Wang said China has repeatedly expounded its position on Australia's nuclear-powered submarine cooperation with the US and the UK.

He called on Australia to earnestly fulfill its nuclear nonproliferation obligation, and stop making irresponsible moves that can create confrontation among groups and risks of proliferation.

Handshake sought

Morrison and Macron spoke last week before the Australian prime minister publicly sought a handshake with his French counterpart at the G20 meeting.

On Monday, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce urged France to view the matter in perspective. "We didn't steal an island, we didn't deface the Eiffel Tower. It was a contract," Joyce told reporters.

Joyce spoke just hours before Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne met the French ambassador to Canberra. Payne said their hourlong meeting focused on efforts to repair the relations.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden said the handling of the new pact had been clumsy, adding that he had thought France had been informed of the contract cancellation before the pact was announced.

Agencies and Zhao Jia in Beijing contributed to this story.