Originally published 10 November 2021.  The Australia defence partnership has divided opinion and frayed relationships. For France, trust will not easily be restored. ‘A stab in the back’ is how the French government described the AUKUS announcement, maintaining that it had been misled to believe the submarine deal with Australia would survive delays and cost overruns. But the impact of this agreement goes beyond just a botched defence industry deal. How can France and its partners in the Indo-Pacific rebuild trust and move forward to meet their common objectives in the region? Veerle is joined by Dr Valérie Niquet, Head of the Asia Department at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, in seeking some of the answers.