Beijing: China on Tuesday criticised the renewal of the major nuclear-powered submarine pact, known as AUKUS (Australia, UK, US), saying it opposes bloc confrontation and anything that increases the risk of nuclear proliferation and exacerbates the arms race.
Seen as an effort to counter China in the Asia Pacific, the three countries announced a historic security pact in 2021 under which Australia will be helped to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using US technology.
The pact will also cover artificial intelligence, cyber and quantum technologies.
China has been vocal in its criticism, saying the AUKUS, together with the QUAD alliance between the US, India, Japan and Australia, was aimed at countering its rise. “China has made clear more than once its position on the so-called trilateral security partnership between the US, the UK and Australia designed to advance cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting-edge military technologies,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.