China claimed that Australia's plan to purchase and develop nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security pact (formed by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) "will only fuel an arms race" and "harm the peace and regional stability. The three are heading "further down the wrong and dangerous path for their own geopolitical interests," the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned on Tuesday.
"The AUKUS nuclear submarine program exudes a Cold War mentality and will only serve to fuel an arms race, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation system, and damage regional peace and stability," Chinese foreign spokesman Wang said. Wenbin at a press conference.
The leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia on Monday unveiled their plan to acquire and develop nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security pact, seen as a counterbalance to China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
US President Joe Biden flew to San Diego yesterday to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak where they presented the plan. Biden stressed that the ships would not carry nuclear weapons of any kind. Albanese has said he does not believe the deal will sour his country's relationship with China, noting that it has improved in recent months.
Under the agreement, Australia will purchase up to three Virginia-class single-jet submarines from the United States during the 2030s, with the option to purchase two more if necessary, bringing the total to five.
Although the signatory countries have not expressly mentioned China, the pact is considered an alliance to counteract Beijing's influence in the strategic Indo-Pacific region, the scene of tensions in the South China Sea and in Taiwan, which the Chinese government considers a rebel territory.
The new submarines will allow Australia to enter, from the next decade, the club of nations with nuclear-powered submersibles, which includes the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and India.
Last year, the then Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, criticized the creation of the AUKUS alliance, saying that it goes "against the spirit of peace for the countries of that region." "The real goal of the US strategy in the Pacific is to establish a version of NATO. This is a region that wants development and cooperation, it is not a chess game board. China rejects any attempt to create circles of influence," he said.
The AUKUS is one of several US-led security arrangements that have drawn criticism from Beijing, which routinely criticizes regional blocs from which it is excluded as Cold War holdovers. Along with Russia, China has denounced the Quad, a grouping made up of Australia, India, Japan and the United States, whose foreign ministers earlier this month made clear they aim to be an alternative to China and raised concerns about "challenges to rules-based maritime order, including in the South and East China Seas," a reference to China's aggressive moves to assert its territorial claims.
China has also expressed discomfort over a deal between Washington and the Philippines that gives US forces greater access to Philippine bases along what it calls the "first island chain," which is key to Chinese control. region of.
Military and political support for Taiwan has also provoked more threatening responses from Beijing in recent years. A 2022 visit to the island by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prompted Beijing to fire missiles at the island, send ships and warplanes to the area, and conduct military exercises simulating a blockade of the island.
Amid tensions over the US downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon in February, China has refused to accept a phone call from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the matter.
Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned Washington last week of possible "conflict and confrontation" if the US does not change course.
