The emergence of the AUKUS alliance, uniting the United States, Great Britain and Australia, creates the conditions for a new Cold War, and also violates the provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Le Yucheng.
“This encourages a new Cold War and encourages geopolitical antagonistic games.
AUKUS is only harmful.
First of all, it entails the risks of nuclear proliferation, seriously violates the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and damages the Treaty on a Nuclear-Free Zone in the South Pacific.
It undermines progress towards a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Southeast Asia, ”the diplomat said in an interview with CGTN.
Le Yucheng noted that the recent incident with a US submarine in the South China Sea is a "disturbing example" of how US actions in the region pose the danger of a nuclear catastrophe.
Recall that on October 7, the US Navy reported a collision of a Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine USS Connecticut with an unknown underwater object while diving in the international waters of the Indo-Pacific region.
The American side said that the nuclear power plant and USS Connecticut compartments were not damaged and remained fully operational.
Later, the news portal of the US Navy Institute, citing a source in the defense department, said that 11 sailors were injured as a result of the incident.
After the collision, the submarine surfaced and headed for Guam.
According to the Chinese diplomat, this case demonstrates that US actions threaten nuclear security in the region.
“Although there have been no reports of a nuclear leak yet, this is a very serious matter.
Frequent visits by nuclear submarines to the South China Sea carry high risks associated with nuclear proliferation and nuclear safety.
In the absence of the right approach, this can lead to a nuclear catastrophe, "Le Yucheng emphasized.
Undermining stability
Commenting on the creation of AUKUS, Le Yucheng stated that the Anglo-Saxon defense partnership is trying to create a new maritime hegemony.
“At the same time, the aim of AUKUS is the pursuit of maritime hegemony.
It fuels a regional arms race, fuels a propensity to take military risks and undermines peace and stability in the region.
China is firmly against AUKUS.
The countries of the region and the international community have many reasons to resist and resist it, ”said the Deputy Foreign Minister of the PRC.
Recall that the leaders of the United States, Great Britain and Australia announced the creation of the AUKUS partnership (named after the first letters in the names of these countries in English) on September 15.
Within the framework of this association, the states plan to deepen military and military-technical cooperation, which meets "the interests of promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."
Against the backdrop of the creation of AUKUS, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the first initiative under the new alliance will be the creation of nuclear submarines for the Australian Navy.
He said that the new nuclear submarines will be built in Adelaide in South Australia with the participation of the United States and Great Britain, which will transfer the necessary technologies to the Australian side.
At the same time, Morrison stressed that Australia does not seek to possess nuclear weapons, and President Joe Biden, in turn, noted that the new submarines will not be equipped with them.
It is worth noting that the creation of AUKUS provoked a diplomatic scandal: France recalled its ambassadors from the United States and Australia.
Paris took this step after Morrison announced that Canberra was abandoning a major defense contract with the French Naval Group for the supply of 12 Attack class submarines.
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng, commenting on the situation, recalled that the United States and Great Britain are using sanctions to deter other countries from developing uranium enrichment technologies.
“But on the other hand, they are shamelessly equipping Australia with nuclear powered submarines,” the Chinese diplomat emphasized.
A fragile contract
Russia was also wary of the creation of AUKUS.
Vladimir Putin, commenting on the creation of the AUKUS trilateral partnership, stressed that the creation of bloc associations undermines regional stability.
“In my opinion, being friends with each other is good, but“ being friends against someone ”is bad.
This undermines the stability that we all talk about and which we all care about, ”Putin said in an interview with Headley Gamble, an anchor of the American television channel CNBC.
The head of state also expressed the hope that in connection with the emergence of AUKUS, "the situation will not develop according to some unpredictable scenario," and the union itself will not bring any tension to the Indo-Pacific region.
Vladimir Ermakov, Director of the Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry, spoke about the potential threat that AUKUS poses to the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
“It is already obvious that such a partnership will not contribute to strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
There are potential risks of using another non-nuclear state for the deployment of military nuclear infrastructure of nuclear states, ”the Russian diplomat emphasized.
Vladimir Ermakov noted that the construction of nuclear submarines by a non-nuclear state party to the NPT is not directly prohibited by the treaty, but it can create a very negative precedent.
According to a military expert, senior researcher at the Higher School of Economics Vasily Kashin, the transfer of technology to Australia to create nuclear submarines or reactors for them does not technically violate the NPT, but carries certain risks.
“Australia is itself a party to the Rarotonga Treaty, which establishes a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the South Pacific.
However, there is one controversial point.
The fact is that British and American nuclear submarines use uranium with a very high degree of enrichment in reactors.
Thus, Australia will own materials that are in a high degree of readiness for the creation of nuclear weapons, ”said the expert.
Despite the fact that this is not a direct violation of the NPT, such actions lead to an aggravation of the strategic situation in the region, explained Vasily Kashin.
"This is an additional step towards military confrontation with the PRC, and it is aimed at containing China," the political scientist stressed.
Vasily Kashin noted that now the PRC will build up its own strategic capabilities, while Canberra will receive new submarines in the next decade at best.
“They have ratified a treaty that prohibits them from having nuclear weapons on their territory.
That is, as long as Australia does not change domestic legislation, their statements that the submarines will not be equipped with them can be trusted.
Another thing is that this is a long-term project.
At best, these boats will be commissioned only in the middle of the next decade.
By this time, everything can happen, and the legislation can change, ”the expert concluded.
USS Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea
© USNavy / ZUMA Wire / Legion Media
According to the head of the sector of economics and politics of China at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations.
EAT.
Primakov of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergei Lukonin, the United States by its actions hopes to strengthen its position in the South China Sea.
At the same time, Australia, joining a new partnership and receiving technology from the United States to build nuclear submarines, can put itself in an uncomfortable position.
“It's clear that this is an anti-Chinese initiative.
But the question arises: is Australia ready to fight for the United States in the event of real clashes with China.
There is no certainty about this, "the expert said in a conversation with RT.
Recall that the territorial dispute over the ownership of the South China Sea and the Paracel Islands group located in it, as well as the Spratly archipelago, is one of the main sources of tension between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific region.
US ships regularly pass by the disputed islands as part of operations to maintain "freedom of navigation."
The PRC criticizes such actions, considering them an encroachment on its sovereignty.
In addition, Beijing has repeatedly protested US-Taiwan military cooperation and joint exercises.
As the Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the RUDN University, member of the Public Chamber of Russia Nikita Danyuk noted in a commentary to RT, China's position on this issue is justified and constructive.
“The actions of the United States and its allies in this region are primarily directed against the containment of military potential and the strengthening of China's geopolitical positions.
The United States is increasingly promoting models of a potential conflict in the South China Sea.
Proceeding from this, the transfer of military technologies to Australia really greatly violates the world order and the status quo that exists in the field of global security and static stability, ”the political scientist emphasized.
China's statements are addressed not so much to the United States as to the entire world community, added Nikita Danyuk.
“China understands that this kind of precedent could open up a Pandora's box in the future.
Because, based on this principle, other US allies in the Asia-Pacific region may soon acquire nuclear technologies, ”the interlocutor of RT concluded.