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China Slams the Security Pact Between US, UK and Australia

The Chinese government has angrily slammed a security pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, saying it is part of an “obsolete Cold War” mentality.

AUKUS agreement, described as a new security alliance between the Indo-Pacific region’s three nations, requires the United States and the United Kingdom to equip Australia with the necessary technology to build its first nuclear-powered submarines.

But the move has been seen as an attempt to fight Beijing’s influence in the disputed South China Sea, a flashpoint that has fueled tensions in recent years.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian described the three countries’ alliance as “extremely irresponsible,” warning that it risked “severely damaging regional peace… and intensifying the arms race.”

State-run Chinese media published articles denouncing the deal, which the minister said was “hurting their own interests” Moreover, a similar editorial in the Global Times newspaper stated that Australia had become an “adversary of China.”

French authorities are not happy with the deal either, as it led Australia to cancel a diesel-electric submarine deal with France, valued at tens of billions of dollars. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian referred to the move as a “stab in the back” while other French officials complained that the country was left out of the security agreement.

AUKUS pact comes as the first time in 50 years that the United States shares its subsea technology, which previously had been shared exclusively with the United Kingdom.

It also enables Australia to build faster nuclear-powered submarines that cannot be quickly detected as traditionally powered fleets.

Although submarines can remain submerged for months and fire missiles at considerably longer distances, the Australian government stated it has not planned to place nuclear weapons on them, adding that the agreement’s objective is not related to any specific country.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison joined US President Joe Biden in a joint virtual press conference to announce the new partnership on Wednesday evening.

The leaders did not directly mention China. However, they repeatedly referred to national security concerns that had “grown significantly.”

In a joint statement, they wrote it was “an historic opportunity for the three nations, with like-minded allies and partners, to protect shared values and promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”

AUKUS pact, which will also share cyber capabilities and more underwater technologies, is considered the most important security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States since World War II.

It would also make Australia the seventh nation to operate nuclear-powered submarines.