Beijing: AUKUS Threatens Regional Peace
Tensions are simmering over the joint US-UK-Australian agreement.
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The submarine deal took France by surprise and angered Beijing
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the "AUKUS" agreement between the US, UK and Australia poses a danger to regional peace, stability and the international order.
Wang made the remarks while co-chairing the latest round of the China-EU high-level strategic dialogue, together with EU Foreign Affairs Coordinator Josep Borrell.
On September 15, US President Joe Biden, British PM Boris Johnson, and Australian PM Scott Morrison issued a joint statement announcing the establishment of "AUKUS," a new partnership in the fields of defense and security.
Under this agreement, Australia will be able to build faster, nuclear-powered submarines that are difficult to detect by conventionally powered naval fleets, can stay in the water for months, and be able to launch missiles for longer distances, although Australia says it does not intend to equip it with nuclear weapons.
The agreement came in as a surprise for France, which found its submarine deal with Australia suddenly scrapped in favor of a US-led one. Diplomatic tensions have risen since then between France and the two AUKUS members.
China had expressed its grave concern, saying that "this move will escalate regional tensions, provoke an arms race, threaten regional peace and stability, and undermine international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons."
It is worth noting that the tension between China and Australia escalated after the signing of this agreement, and the Chinese Global Times news website announced that this agreement will “potentially make Australia a target of a nuclear strike if a nuclear war breaks out.”
It added that "Beijing and Moscow won't treat Canberra as an innocent non-nuclear power, but a US ally which could be armed with nuclear weapons anytime."
