The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom has voiced firm opposition to the ongoing efforts by the United States, the UK, and Australia to advance their trilateral security partnership, known as AUKUS. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the embassy expressed deep concerns over the potential inclusion of Japan in the alliance, emphasizing that such moves disregard widespread regional apprehensions about nuclear proliferation risks.
In a recent joint statement, the defense ministers of the U.S., the UK, and Australia indicated they are considering cooperation with Japan on advanced capability projects under AUKUS Pillar II. The Chinese spokesperson warned that this expansion could escalate the risk of nuclear proliferation, exacerbate arms races in the Asia-Pacific region, and undermine regional peace and stability. “China is gravely concerned and firmly opposed to this,” the spokesperson stated.
The AUKUS alliance, established to enhance security cooperation among the three nations, focuses on helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines and deepening collaboration on advanced defense technologies, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and cyber technologies. The proposed involvement of Japan signals a strategic intent to broaden the alliance’s scope, which China views as a destabilizing factor in regional dynamics.
China has urged the U.S., the UK, and Australia to abandon what it describes as a “Cold War mentality” and to cease forming exclusionary blocs that could lead to increased tensions and confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region. The spokesperson also called on Japan to learn from history and exercise prudence in its military and security policies.
(Cover image: Qinzhou Port in Qinzhou City, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, October 26, 2023. /Xinhua)
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China urges U.S., UK and Australia to stop forming exclusionary blocs
cgtn.com
