[ad_1]
A new security agreement between the United States, Britain, and Australia in the Indo-Pacific is “extremely disruptive to regional peace” and “intensifies the arms race”, China said.
On Wednesday, the three western powers announced they would establish a security partnership that would help Australia acquire U.S. nuclear -powered submarines.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian confirmed the move and said: “The US, UK and Australia in cooperation on nuclear submarines has severely damaged the peace and stability of the region, intensifying the career of weapons, and endangered international efforts to advance the non -proliferation of nuclear weapons.
‘AUKUS alliance will bring us closer than ever’
“The US and UK action of exporting highly sensitive submarine nuclear technology has reaffirmed that they use nuclear exports as a tool for geopolitical games and are adapting the double standard.
“It’s a totally irresponsible act.”
It comes as France accused US President Joe Biden of stabbing it in the back and acting like his predecessor Donald Trump after removing Paris from a $ 40bn (£ 29bn) defense agreement it signed in Australia.
The deal, dubbed AUKUS, will see Australia scrap an agreement in 2016 with French shipbuilder Naval Group to build a new fleet to replace Collins ’aging submarines.
“This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr. Trump used to do,” foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told franceinfo radio.
“I’m angry and bitter. It’s not done between allies.”
“A stab in the back. We created a relationship of trust with Australia and that trust was broken,” he added.
He had earlier said in a statement that the “choice to exclude an ally in Europe and a partner like France” was something the country could only remember and regret.
London, Canberra and Washington have said they intend to collaborate on cyber, quantum technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as other underwater capabilities.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News on Thursday: “We have no intention of doing anything to oppose the French – the French are some of our closest military allies in Europe, we are large and comparable that forces and we do things together. “
He added: “The French have been contracted to deliver diesel submarines and the Australians have made the decision that they want to move there and become nuclear.
“Every country has to make those choices in their own national security interests.”
Did Biden forget the name of Australia’s PMs?
Nuclear -powered submarines are superior to their diesel counterparts because they can operate quieter and stay underwater longer.
How the partnership will work, what the cost will be, how many boats will be built, where and which companies will join have not yet been revealed.
However, only two weeks ago the Australian defense and foreign ministers confirmed the agreement with their French counterparts.
But the agreement was fraught with issues and delays, as Canberra demanded that most manufacturing and components be sourced locally.
Mr Biden said France remained a “key partner in the Indo-Pacific zone”, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his country expected to continue to work “closely and positively” with France, which added: “France is a major friend and partner to Australia and the Indo-Pacific.”
In a joint statement, the pair said with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “The effort we have launched today will help maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“For more than 70 years, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the US have worked together, along with other key allies and partners, to protect our shared value and promote security and prosperity. Today, with the formation of AUKUS, we recommend ourselves to this vision. “
Although the word “China” is not specifically mentioned, the predominant security and defense challenge in the region is the rise of an increasingly struggling, authoritative Beijing.
|
Sources 2/ https://news.sky.com/story/france-accuses-us-of-stabbing-it-in-back-and-behaving-like-donald-trump-over-australian-submarine-deal-12409319 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
[ad_2]