China raises concerns over AUKUS pact, cciting Nuclear proliferation risk in Pacific

• The agreement “runs counter” to a South Pacific treaty banning nuclear weapons in the region.
• The Chinese foreign minister criticized the AUKUS agreement for raising serious nuclear proliferation risks.
• The AUKUS nations are considering cooperation with Japan on military technology, including advanced warfighting capabilities.

During a weekend visit aimed at strengthening Beijing’s ties with Papua New Guinea, Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused Western powers in the AUKUS security pact of provoking division and risking nuclear proliferation in the South Pacific. Wang Yi lashed out at AUKUS, which provides for the United States and Britain to equip Australia with nuclear-powered but conventionally armed submarines.

During a news conference in Port Moresby, the Chinese foreign minister stated that the three-way AUKUS agreement “runs counter” to a South Pacific treaty banning nuclear weapons in the region.

The Chinese foreign minister told reporters after meeting with his Papua New Guinea counterpart Justin Tkatchenko that AUKUS also “raises serious nuclear proliferation risks.”

In recent years, Beijing has attempted to chip away at US and Australian influence across the South Pacific, including in Papua New Guinea.

While small in population, the Pacific Islands are replete with natural resources and sit at a geostrategic crossroads that could prove strategically vital in any military dispute over Taiwan.

Australian firms are by far Papua New Guinea’s largest donor, but Chinese firms have made solid inroads into markets in the impoverished but resource-rich nation.

The Chinese foreign minister seized on a recent announcement by the AUKUS nations that they are considering cooperating with Japan on military technology.

Under the AUKUS agreement, the partners plan to develop advanced warfighting capabilities such as artificial intelligence, undersea drones, and hypersonic missiles.

“The recent attempts to draw more countries to join in such an initiative of stoking confrontation between blocs and provoking division are inconsistent with the urgent needs of the island countries,” the foreign minister said.

Wang took a thinly veiled swipe at Australian and US relations with the Solomon Islands, which held elections on Wednesday.

Also Read

China’s economy outpaces expectations in first Quarter

The country's second-largest economy exceeded forecasts, reaching 4.6% in Q1. Beijing set...