Sébastien Le Belzic, edited by Clément Perruche 7:38 a.m., September 17, 2021

On Thursday, Australia reached an agreement with the United Kingdom and the United States which will provide it with nuclear-powered submarines, breaking an agreement with France in the process.

This change of course did not please Beijing at all, which accused the three countries of provoking a new cold war.

DECRYPTION

Are we going to witness a new cold war in the China Sea?

The announcement on Thursday of the signing of an agreement between Australia and the United States for the supply of nuclear submarines as part of a strategic partnership to face Beijing has provoked the ire of the China, which denounces an arms race.

A paradox for this country which has itself reinforced its military fleet in recent years.

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"New Cold War"

In a press conference held Thursday in Beijing, the spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry accused Australia and the United States of provoking a new cold war.

"The cooperation between the United States, Britain and Australia on nuclear submarines seriously undermines regional peace and stability, intensifies the arms race and undermines international nuclear non-proliferation efforts."

Australia should pay the price for this renewed tension.

She and China have been at loggerheads for 18 months.

Most of the Australian press correspondents have been deported or have fled China.

An Australian journalist and writer are also imprisoned there and accused of espionage by Beijing.

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An impressive naval arsenal

But by banging its fist on the table, China itself is showing hypocrisy.

Certainly, the China Sea being a high risk area, the prospect of seeing Australian submarines supporting the US Navy, which is very present in the region, makes it leap.

But Beijing already has an impressive arsenal of 360 combat ships, more than the US fleet. In particular, it has six nuclear missile-launching submarines and around forty attack submarines, including a top-secret stealth prototype capable of diving to a depth of 500 meters. The Chinese military budget is constantly increasing and the navy is a strategic component in this cold war of nuclear submarines.