On Tuesday (March 14), China issued a stern warning to the United States and itsballies, saying that Washington was on a “dangerous path” after the U.S. agreed to sell Australia nuclear-powered subs.
Speaking to reporters at a daily briefing, spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that the U.S., U.K., and Australia’s joint statement about the agreement — that would see the U.S. provide Australia with at least three nuclear-powered history — meant “the three countries have gone further down the wrong and dangerous path for their own geopolitical self-interest.”
The deal is part of the AUKUS partnership, which includes an agreement about the U.S. providing three nuclear-powered submarines beginning in the early 2030s.
The move plans to counter China’s growing ambitions in the region.
The U.S. and U.K. could send nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as soon as 2027 in anticipation of the first delivery and to conduct training.
The deal could cost Australia roughly $254 billion by 2055 as the Oceanic nation attempts to shore up its fleet and build an entire fleet.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and President Joe Biden described the deal as part of a shared commitment to an open and free Indo-Pacific region.
Albanese described the deal as “the biggest single investment in Australia’s defense” in the country’s history.
The Australian Prime Minister noted that the deal would also insert $4 billion investment in the nation’s industrial capability over the next four years, creating 20,000 jobs over the following decade.
Despite the deal’s praise, Beijing suggested the deal is the “typical Cold War mentality which will only motivate an arms race.”
Beijing also claimed that the deal would “damage the international nuclear nonproliferation regime,” harming “regional stability and peace.”
