China slams ‘double standards’ of Aukus nuclear subs deal, warns of impact on Korea, Iran efforts

Deal is ‘blatant, irresponsible act of nuclear proliferation’, China’s permanent envoy to the UN in Vienna tells Global Times

China has urged UN nuclear watchdog not to back the plan, citing ‘illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials’

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A US guided-missile submarine transits the Strait of Hormuz. The US and Britain aim to transfer nuclear submarine technology to Australia under the Aukus alliance. Photo: TNS

Published: 8:00pm, 20 Sep 2022Updated: 8:34pm, 20 Sep 2022

China has stepped up its opposition to Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus pact, with the Chinese envoy to the UN slamming the “blatant” irresponsibility and “double standards” displayed by the plan.

Wang Qun, Beijing’s permanent representative at the United Nations in Vienna, said the Chinese side had an “intense” debate with the three Aukus countries – the US, Britain and Australia – over the deal as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors met last week.

In an interview with nationalist Chinese tabloid Global Times published on Monday, Wang called the deal “a blatant, irresponsible act of nuclear proliferation” that would have a serious and negative impact on international efforts to resolve the Korean peninsula and the Iranian nuclear issues.

Wang Qun says the US and Britain are engaging in geopolitical gamesmanship. Photo: Handout

The Aukus pact, announced last September, aims to transfer US and British nuclear submarine technology to Australia. China is among countries that object to the deal, on the grounds that it violates the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which all three Aukus countries are signatory to.

The export of nuclear-weapons-grade material to Australia – a non-nuclear-weapon state under the NPT – by nuclear-weapon states Britain and the US is “extremely irresponsible”, and once again shows their “double standards” on non-proliferation by using it as a tool for geopolitical gamesmanship, Wang told the paper.

He asked why Iran must limit its nuclear enrichment and stockpiles while Australia can receive tonnes of nuclear-weapon materials from the US and Britain.

The plan for Australia to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines is viewed as being aimed at China and its growing military power in the region. Beijing reacted strongly when the deal came to light last year, condemning it as damaging to regional peace and stability, as well as international non-proliferation efforts.