China warns AUKUS sub deal on ‘path of error and danger’
China warned on Tuesday that Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States were treading a “path of error and danger” after they unveiled a nuclear-powered submarines deal.
The trilateral alliance, known as AUKUS, “completely disregard the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Australia announced on Monday it would buy up to five US nuclear-powered submarines, then build a new model with US and British technology under an ambitious plan to bulk up Western muscle across the Asia-Pacific in the face of a rising China.
Wang accused the three Western allies of inciting an arms race, saying the security deal was “a typical case of Cold War mentality”.
The sale of submarines “constitutes a severe nuclear proliferation risk, and violates the aims … of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he said.
Russia also said on Tuesday that the joint plan raised questions about nuclear proliferation, demanding “special transparency”.