China slams AUKUS for undermining regional peace as Australia announced a cooperation agreement with the United States and UK on nuclear powered submarines.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry voiced strong concerns and opposition on Wednesday regarding the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine cooperation between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles announced on August 12 that Australia signed a cooperation agreement with the U.S. and the UK on nuclear-powered submarines, allowing the three nations to share nuclear-related materials and information.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned that the AUKUS partnership threatens regional peace and security. He emphasized that this collaboration on nuclear-powered submarines and advanced military technologies fuels an arms race, undermines the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, promotes bloc politics, and harms regional stability.
Lin further argued that the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine cooperation violates the objectives of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). He also highlighted the transfer of nuclear submarine reactors and weapons-grade highly enriched uranium from nuclear-armed states to a non-nuclear-weapon state as a significant nuclear proliferation risk.
Lin pointed out that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s current safeguards system is inadequate for monitoring such transfers, and there is significant disagreement over how to interpret and apply relevant safeguards. He noted that many countries raised concerns during the recent session of the Preparatory Committee for the Eleventh Review Conference of NPT Parties.
China further urged the global community to address the impact of AUKUS on the authority of the NPT and the IAEA safeguards system. Lin called for advancing the intergovernmental process through platforms like the IAEA and NPT review process to tackle the legal and technical issues raised by this cooperation.
Lin concluded by stating that the U.S., the UK, and Australia should not proceed with their nuclear-powered submarine cooperation until the international community reaches a consensus on safeguards and related concerns.
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