China urges France to boost cooperation in wake of Aukus submarine deal

Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye says Beijing and Paris working together is ‘in the interests of the whole world’ after the new security pact enraged the French
Lu tells Russian state media that the new US, British and Australian pact undermines non-proliferation efforts adding ‘everyone knows it’s aimed at China’

Aukus alliance

Rachel Zhangin Shanghai

Published: 7:00pm, 24 Sep 2021

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The Chinese ambassador to France has said the two countries should strengthen cooperation following the announcement of the new US security alliance with Britain and Australia.

“As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and France shoulder the responsibility of maintaining international peace and stability, promoting global development and multilateralism. So we can and should strengthen our cooperation, which is in the interests of the whole world,” ambassador Lu Shaye told Russian state media outlet Sputnik France, according to a statement from the embassy.

France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia last week following the announcement of the new “Aukus” security pact, which saw Australia cancelling a multibillion-dollar contract to buy French diesel submarines in favour of US nuclear-powered vessels.

China's Ambassador to France Lu Shaye. Photo: AFP

Following a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden on Thursday, France agreed to send its envoy back to Washington and the two leaders agreed to meet next month to discuss Indo-Pacific strategies.

The two leaders also agreed to meet in late October in Europe to discuss Indo-Pacific strategies.

Lu said he would not describe the spat between France and the US as “good news” for China, but added that the Aukus deal has affected ties between the US and Europe.

“I believe this incident came as a real shock in the relationship between the US and Europe, particularly in the relationship between France, and the US and Australia. This is an internal matter for the Western alliance,” he said. “Arms deals on such a large scale are not conducive to world peace. We should not get involved in an arms race.”

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He said that although the three allies had not explicitly stated their intentions, “everyone knows that it is aimed at China”.

Beijing has repeatedly attacked the new alliance for its “cold war mentality” and criticised it for threatening regional peace and stability. Lu added that Australia, Britain and the US should stop such acts that “undermine international nuclear non-proliferation efforts”.

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Apart from France’s fury at the deal, which senior ministers described variously as a breach of trust or a stab in the back, it has also prompted wider questions across Europe about the relationship with the United States.

European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said that the disorderly US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the new security deal reminded EU members that they needed to “focus more on strategic autonomy”.

But relations between China and Europe have also been hit by a series of disputes, amid rising concern about human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and over Taiwan.

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French Senator Alain Richard, a former defence minister, is expected to lead a delegation to Taiwan from October 4 to 11.

The Chinese embassy said the senators should reconsider their decision in a statement that warned: “Their visit to Taiwan and official contacts with the Taiwan authorities … will seriously violate the one-China policy pursued by France and will be exploited by the separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’.”