BEIJING: China on Thursday slammed nuclear submarine cooperation between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, calling it a grave threat to regional peace and stability.
On Wednesday, the three countries announced an Indo-Pacific diplomatic, security and defense cooperation pact, under which the U.S. and the UK will export “highly sensitive” nuclear submarine technology to Australia.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing in Beijing that the countries’ move gravely undermines regional peace and stability, intensifies the arms race, and harms the international non-proliferation efforts.
“They use nuclear exports as a tool for geopolitical games and adopt double standards, which is extremely irresponsible,” he said.
Zhao said that the international community, regional countries included, is justified to question Australia’s sincerity in abiding by its nuclear non-proliferation commitments. Producing no nuclear weapons, Australia is a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty.
The Chinese spokesman urged relevant countries to abandon the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and stop forming small circles or cliques, stressing that regional mechanisms should not target any third party or hurt the interest of any third party.
France accused U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday of backstabbing and acting like his predecessor Donald Trump after Paris was pushed aside from the lucrative submarine deal.
In 2016, Australia had selected French shipbuilder Naval Group to build a new submarine fleet worth $40 billion to replace more than two-decades-old Collins submarines.
“We had established a relationship of trust with Australia. This trust is betrayed,” French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian told the radio network France Info, adding that the contract is a “stab in the back.”
“It is not over. They will have to give explanations,” he said. “The American behavior worries me. This unilateral and brutal decision is very similar to what Mr. (Donald) Trump was doing.” Also, on Thursday, French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly called the contract “very bad news for the respect of the given word.”
–The Daily Mail-CGTN News exchange item
