China News Service, Beijing, September 24 (Reporter Huang Yuqin) In response to national and international scholars expressing concerns about the nuclear proliferation risks of the US-UK-Australia nuclear submarine cooperation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on the 24th that the US, UK and Australia cooperate It is a bad move with a serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violates the spirit of the NPT.
A reporter asked questions. Recently, some international scholars said that the provision of nuclear submarine technology by the United States and Britain to Australia is likely to involve more than 93% abundance of weapon-grade highly enriched uranium, and there is a risk of nuclear proliferation.
The Iranian representative in Vienna criticized some countries for pointing fingers at Iran’s nuclear activities, but kept silent about the United States and Britain’s plans to export highly enriched uranium to Australia. This is a typical “double standard”.
What is China's comment?
Zhao Lijian said that China believes that relevant countries and international scholars have expressed concerns about the nuclear proliferation risks of the US-UK-Australia nuclear submarine cooperation, which is completely justified and reasonable.
Cooperation between the United States, Britain and Australia is a stinking move.
He pointed out that, first of all, cooperation between the United States, Britain and Australia poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violates the spirit of the NPT.
US nuclear submarines use highly enriched uranium with an abundance of more than 90%, which is a weapon-grade nuclear material.
The export of nuclear submarines by the United States and the United Kingdom to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon country, means the transfer of these highly sensitive nuclear materials and related technologies and equipment, and the IAEA safeguards system cannot effectively verify whether Australia will use highly enriched uranium. For nuclear weapons.
Australia knows this, but abandoned the purchase of conventionally powered submarines and turned to the United States and Britain to purchase nuclear submarines.
As a non-nuclear-weapon State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Australia's sincerity in continuing to fulfill its nuclear non-proliferation obligations will be a big question mark!
Zhao Lijian said that secondly, the cooperation between the United States, Britain and Australia once again proved that the United States and Britain are openly pursuing a "double standard" on the issue of nuclear exports, which will seriously undermine international nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
The United States has always aimed to prevent the two countries from acquiring highly enriched uranium on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the Iranian nuclear issue. It has refused to export highly enriched uranium to non-nuclear-weapon states, and has promoted low-enriched uranium reactors globally.
However, in order to achieve its geopolitical goals, the United States did not hesitate to "open mouths" for the countries concerned. The current nuclear submarine cooperation with Australia is the latest example.
This move of the three countries will surely send a wrong signal to the world, stimulate other non-nuclear-weapon states to follow suit, and bring far-reaching negative effects to the solution of regional non-proliferation hotspot issues.
Not only that, the introduction of nuclear submarines by Australia will undermine the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty and the efforts of ASEAN countries to establish a nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia and severely undermine regional peace and stability.
Zhao Lijian emphasized that, in the end, the United States, Britain and Australia have come from the leaders of the international nuclear non-proliferation efforts for many years, but the facts are very shameful. They are veritable proliferators.
China once again urges the three countries to listen to the voice of the international community, abandon the outdated Cold War zero-sum thinking and narrow geopolitical concepts, revoke relevant wrong decisions, faithfully fulfill international nuclear non-proliferation obligations, and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability.
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