By Tony O’Reilly-
China has accused the UK, US and Australia of ‘going down a dangerous path’ today after the historic nuclear submarine deal.
Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said the AUKUS pact breaks the non-proliferation treaty and is evidence of a ‘typical Cold War mentality’.
The accusation follows Rishi Sunak meeting US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego to announce the next stage of the AUKUS partnership plan.
The multibillion-dollar deal, announced during a meeting of Aukus leaders in San Diego on Monday, will provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines in an effort to counter the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific.
The plan will deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as it seeks to counter Chinese activities in the Pacific Ocean.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the three countries had “disregarded” concerns of the international community, Reuters news agency reported.
The three nations have insisted the pact does not increase the risk of nuclear proliferation. The vessels will carry conventional weapons and the nuclear reactors will be sealed shut.
Mr Sunak said the UK, US and Australia would work together “keeping our oceans free” with a new generation of attack submarines.
The row is intensifying after Rishi Sunak unveiled the submarine agreement alongside Joe Biden and Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in San Diego yesterday.
Under the agreement Britain and the US will supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, enhancing its ability to counter the threat posed by China’s growing military ambitions in the Pacific.
Rishi Sunak also confirmed a multi-billion-pound deal with the the US and Australia to help develop and build the vessels after meeting US President Joe Biden (centre) and Australian PM Anthony Albanese (left) at a naval base in California
Three fleets of submarines working together across both the Atlantic and Pacific, keeping our oceans free, open, and prosperous for decades to come,” the British prime minister said.
Britain’s fleet of nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarines could be doubled as part of a landmark deal with the US and Australia
As part of the deal, military chiefs are pushing to increase the size of the UK’s hunter-killer submarine fleet from seven to as many as 20.
The vessels will not be nuclear-armed and the NPT allows the transfer of fissile material for non-weapons use, like naval propulsion, without the need for monitoring by the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
However, in a series of tweets, the Chinese mission to the UN said the move clearly breached the ‘object and purpose’ of the NPT.
‘The nuclear submarine cooperation plan released today by Aukus is a blatant act that constitutes serious nuclear proliferation risks, undermines international non-proliferation system, fuels arms races, and hurts peace and stability in the region,’ it said.
‘The irony of Aukus is that two nuclear weapons states who claim to uphold the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard are transferring tons of weapons-grade enriched uranium to a non-nuclear-weapon state, clearly violating the object and purpose of the NPT.
‘Such a textbook case of double standard will damage the authority and effectiveness of the international non-proliferation system.
‘We urge the trio to honour their obligations as members of the NPT and respond to the (will) of the international community.’
At a daily briefing in Beijing, spokesman Wenbin Wang said: ‘The latest joint statement issued by the US, UK, and Australia shows that the three countries have gone further down the wrong and dangerous path for their own geopolitical self-interest, completely ignoring the concerns of the international community.’
A No10 spokesman said: ‘This is not about any one individual country, it’s about investing in the capabilities we need to ensure UK security.
‘We’ve set out the reason for the partnership and the aim of the partnership to deter aggression and enhance global security.’
At a launch ceremony at a US naval base in San Diego, Mr Sunak said the AUKUS agreement was dedicated to keeping the oceans ‘free, open and prosperous’ and ‘maintaining freedom, peace, and security now and for generations to come’.
The agreement is expected to create thousands of jobs at British shipyards, with the UK’s submarines mainly being built by BAE Systems at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and Rolls-Royce, with the US sharing sensitive technology for the project.
Security minister Tom Tugendhat risked inflaming tensions further by insisting that China is a ‘threat’ – despite a government review carefully avoiding using the word
In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Tugendhat tried to cool Tory anxiety that the UK’s Integrated Review published yesterday described China as a ‘challenge’ rather than a ‘threat’.
He insisted the UK was ‘absolutely not’ going ‘soft’ on Beijing.
‘Nobody is going to tell me that China isn’t a threat in some areas and a challenge in others,’ he told Times Radio.
‘What the Prime Minister is doing is talking about that overarching picture.
‘Because China isn’t just a single aspect or a single area, what we’ve got to do as the United Kingdom, is to make sure that we’re constantly ready to change the way in which we deal with partners and challenges around the world.’