“In our opinion, the partnership between the three countries (Australia, Great Britain and the United States, – note “RG”) represents a serious risk of nuclear proliferation, which has an impact on the international system of nuclear non-proliferation, and also stimulates an arms race,” Mao Ning said during the briefing.
In this context, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called on the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia to abandon the “cold war mentality” and redouble their efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region.
The AUKUS defense alliance was founded by Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom in the fall of 2021. The partnership plans to arm Australians with a fleet of nuclear submarines based on technologies British and American. Earlier in the media, it was reported that the Australians would be able to launch the first nuclear submarines at the earliest in the late 2030s.
It is important to note that after the creation of the trilateral alliance, the contract with France for the supply of 12 Barracuda-class attack submarines to Canberra for 56 billion euros was terminated.
At the same time, as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in August 2022, the appearance of a nuclear fleet in Australia will open a “Pandora’s box” in the region, and the global nuclear arms race will resume.
