At nine in the morning, the conference officially commenced.
The main point of contention at this London Naval Conference was not Europe. Rather, the contest among Britain, East Africa, the United States, and Japan was particularly fierce.
In Europe, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, owing to their navies' poor performance during the First World War, instead placed little importance on naval power.
After all, the prewar development of the German Navy had been profoundly shaped by Wilhelm II personally. Before Wilhelm II, Germany had never been a nation that valued sea power. Yet during the First World War, even though the German Navy was the world's second-largest, it still could not break through the constraints of geography. With that, no matter how slow-witted Wilhelm II was, he would no longer blindly chase the dream of a High Seas Fleet. It was a matter of cost-effectiveness.
As for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it had never been a sea power from beginning to end. Even in the most recent naval race, its navy had not received much attention, and the naval plans it formulated were the most conservative among the great powers.
As for France, Britain instead supported France's vigorous naval development to a certain extent. With the "friendship" forged during the First World War, the contradictions between Britain and France had at least been partly dismantled by Germany.
Moreover, Britain also hoped to continue cooperating with France in order to counter such new maritime powers as East Africa, the United States, and Japan, thereby stabilizing the old international order. After all, under the old international order, Britain and France had been the beneficiaries.
Finally, France's national strength could no longer support a more proactive French maritime policy. Thus, the British knew well that even if they did not restrict the French Navy,