China accuses the Aukus alliance of opening an arms race with its plan for nuclear submarines

China has not spared criticism of the plan signed by the United States, Great Britain and Australia to acquire and develop nuclear-powered submarines. For Beijing, the countries of the Aukus alliance (an acronym in English for its three members) are taking a “wrong and dangerous path”. “Aukus nuclear submarine program dispel the cold war mentality and it will only serve to feed one the arms raceundermining the international nuclear non-proliferation system and undermining regional peace and stability,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. Wang Wenbin, at the press conference.

For the Chinese government, it is an “irony” that two nuclear powers like the United Kingdom and the United States, which boast of adhering to the “highest standards” of nuclear non-proliferation, share of “tons” of enriched uranium with a country, Australia, that does not have this type of technology.

“They clearly violate the aim and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),” the Chinese delegation to the UN condemned. Therefore, he called on the three countries to fulfill their “obligations” and answer for them before the international community.

Canberra defends

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong rejected China’s criticism and defended her country’s non-acquisition of nuclear weapons in an interview with Guard.

Australia has already asked the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear agency, begin negotiations to adjust your safeguards agreement (controls) in a way that allows you to use fissile material in submarine propulsion.

The multimillion-dollar agreement signed Monday by Joe Biden and Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese is the first tangible alliance pact that has made France uneasy – as it has been left without a prior military contract with Australia – and which has made no secret of its desire to counterbalance China’s growing presence in India. – the Pacific region.

Under the new commitments, Australia will buy three Virginia-class submarines from the US, with the option to buy two more if the parties deem it necessary. Great Britain and Australia will host the production of a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines with direct support from Washington.

Another criticism came from Russia. Your Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, confirmed that the Aukus bloc lays the foundations for the advancement of NATO structures towards Asia and conflict “for many years”.