China: Resolutely oppose the malicious use of loopholes in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by the United States, Britain and Australia

　　China News Service, Beijing, September 27 (Reporter Zhang Su) "China firmly opposes the malicious use of the NPT and the loopholes in the institutional safeguards system by the United States, Britain and Australia, and will firmly defend the authority and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation system. "Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference on the 27th.

　　On the 25th, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that nuclear-powered submarines use weapon-grade enriched uranium. If Australia obtains nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS, Russia may require the International Atomic Energy Agency to supervise.

A reporter asked what China has commented on this.

　　Hua Chunying first pointed out that the US-UK-Australia nuclear submarine cooperation poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violates the spirit of the NPT, and the concerns expressed by Russia are completely legitimate and reasonable.

　　She further pointed out that the export of nuclear submarines by the United States and Britain to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon country, will involve the transfer of weapons-grade HEU and other sensitive nuclear materials and related technologies and equipment.

There are gaps in the IAEA's safeguards system, which cannot effectively prevent Australia from using relevant nuclear materials to manufacture nuclear weapons.

　　Hua Chunying emphasized that China firmly opposes the malicious use of loopholes in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and institutional safeguards by the United States, Britain and Australia, and will firmly defend the authority and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation system.

　　"At the same time, China should once again draw attention to the serious harm of the United States, Britain and Australia's "double standards" on nuclear non-proliferation issues." Hua Chunying said that the United States and the United Kingdom place geopolitical interests above international nuclear non-proliferation rules. , To help Australia become the first non-nuclear-weapon state to introduce nuclear submarines, which is bound to stimulate other non-nuclear-weapon states to follow suit and bring far-reaching negative effects to the resolution of regional nuclear hotspot issues.

　　She also said that Australia's introduction of nuclear submarines will undermine the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty and ASEAN countries’ efforts to establish a Southeast Asian nuclear-weapon-free zone, and severely undermine regional peace and stability.

　　"China once again urges the three countries to listen to the voice of the international community, abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and narrow geopolitical concepts, revoke the relevant wrong decisions, faithfully fulfill the international nuclear non-proliferation obligations, and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability." Hua Chunying Say.

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