China warned on Tuesday that the United States, Britain and Australia are on a “wrong and dangerous path.” due to the announcement of an agreement on nuclear-powered submarines between the three countries. Seeking to offset China’s weight in the Asia-Pacific region, Washington, London and Canberra launched their AUKUS allianceannounced 18 months ago and whose name is the English abbreviation of the three nations, to build a new generation of nuclear submarines.
“The latest joint statement by the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia demonstrates that the three countries travel more and more along a wrong and dangerous paththinking of their own interests and disregarding the concern of the international community,” said the Chinese diplomatic spokesman, Wang Wenbin. “Nuclear submarine program exudes Cold War mentality and it will only serve to fuel an arms race, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation system and harm regional peace and stability,” Wang added at a press conference.
Russiawhich wants to strengthen its ties with China, He also accused Western powers of fomenting “years of confrontation” in the Asia-Pacific region.. “The Anglo-Saxon world builds bloc structures like AUKUS, advancing NATO’s infrastructure in Asia, and seriously betting on long years of confrontation,” said the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrovwho ruled out that “the great Asian civilizations obediently follow the ideas of Washington and other Anglo-Saxon colleagues.”
For his part, he International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) He warned that he will take care that “no risk of proliferation emanates from this project.” During a visit to Washington, IAEA Director General, Rafael GrossiHe said that his obligation is monitor “large amounts of nuclear material enriched to very high levels” delivered to Australia, a country that until now has been exempt from this type of inspection because it is not a nuclear power.
Historic “No Nuclear Weapons” Agreement
On Monday, US President Joe Bidentogether with the Prime Ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom, Anthony Albanese y Rishi Sunak, announced from the San Diego naval base an “unprecedented” cooperation. “We are in the best position to face today’s and tomorrow’s challenges together,” he said, adding that the United States cannot have “best friends.”
None of the three leaders explicitly mentioned China, but Biden claimed that AUKUS would ensure that the Asia-Pacific zone “remains free and open”a formula that points to the desire to counteract Chinese influence in the region. Albanese said it’s about “the largest single investment in Australia’s defense capability in our entire history”and stressed that the three countries are “united, above all, for a world where peace and stability and security guarantee greater prosperity.”
The Australian government estimates that the multi-decade project will cost some $40 billion in the first ten years, and create around 20,000 jobs. Australia is the second country after the UK to have access to secret US nuclear technology, Albanese insisted. Altar also insisted on efforts to increase the defense budget of the United Kingdom, which is committed in “the most important multilateral defense agreement for generations”.
The attack submarine program, which seeks to adapt the Western military presence in the Pacific, will be carried out in three stages, the White House detailed. And it will be based on a “crucial” principle, Biden reiterated: “These submarines will be nuclear-powered, but they will not carry nuclear weapons” to respect the principle of non-proliferation.
The goal is to deploy, starting in 2027 and on a rotating basis, four US submarines and one British submarine at the Australian base in Perth. In a second tranche, Australia will buy three US nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines, with an option on two others. They have to be delivered from 2030.
In the third and most ambitious stage, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom will partner for a new generation of attack submarines called the SSN AUKUS. These new aircraft, based on a British design with advanced American technology, will be built and deployed by the UK and Australia. They have to be delivered from 2030 and early 2040.