Beijing: China on Tuesday said that the nuclear-powered submarines deal between Australia, Britain, and the US is treading a "path of error and danger."
Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the latest joint statement from the US, UK, and Australia demonstrates that the three countries, for the sake of their own geopolitical interests, completely disregard the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger. He accused the alliance of inciting an arms race and termed the security deal as "a typical case of Cold War mentality."
Speaking to the media in Beijing, he said the sale of submarines "constitutes a severe nuclear proliferation risk, and violates the aims and objectives of the Non-Proliferation Treaty".
The deal is to increase Western power in the Asia-Pacific to deal with the threats posed by China. It is a pushback against Chinese military expansion. Australia joined the US and the UK alliance 18 months ago. On Monday, Australia announced that it will buy up to five US nuclear-powered submarines and then build a new model with the SU and British technology. US President Joe Biden stressed that Canberra will not be getting nuclear weapons, reported AFP. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said the UN Agency must ensure that no proliferation risks will emanate from this project.
Russia backed China and said the West is fomenting "years of confrontation" in the Asia-Pacific region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the "Anglo-Saxon world, with the creation of structures like AUKUS and with the advancement of NATO military infrastructures into Asia, is making a serious bet on many years of confrontation."