The US, UK and Australia have unveiled details of their plan to create a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, aimed at countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Under the Aukus pact Australia is to get its first nuclear-powered subs – at least three – from the US. The allies will also work to create a new fleet using cutting-edge tech, including UK-made Rolls-Royce reactors.
The Aukus scheme is the first time a provision in the 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty has been used to transfer fissile material and nuclear technology from a nuclear weapons state to a non-weapons state.
Beijing has strongly criticised the significant naval deal. Its foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the three nations of “walking further and further down the path of error and danger”.
China’s UN mission had earlier also accused the Western allies of setting back nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
But US President Joe Biden said the deal was aimed at bolstering peace in the region and stressed the submarines would be “nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed”.
The UK, the United States and Australia have planned to counter China’s growing military influence in the Indo-Pacific with the help of a defence partnership. Due to increased Chinese naval power and assertiveness in the South China Sea, Australia decided that it requires submarines both as a deterrent and for attack capability in the event of a crisis. Nuclear subs can leave port and stay underwater for weeks, avoiding detection.
The Guardian reported that the new SSN-Aukus submarine would be a combination of UK submarine design and US defence technology. It is intended as the future attack submarine for both the UK and Australia.
On the occasion of the meeting of 3 world leaders, the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described China as a “systemic challenge” to the world order. Sunak told the US-based media outlet NBC News in an interview that “Britain is back” and ready to counter the challenge posed by a more “assertive” China.
While speaking to the outlet at the USS Midway Museum shortly after he arrived in San Diego for the summit, Sunak said that “the behaviour that we have seen in China over recent times is concerning”. The British prime minister said that Beijing is “acting in a more authoritarian fashion at home” and is “more assertive overseas”.
He further said, “China represents the biggest state threat to our economic interests, for sure. And it’s a systemic challenge for the world order.”
China responded to the announcement by saying the nuclear submarine cooperation plan was “a blatant act that constitutes serious nuclear proliferation risks, undermines international non-proliferation system, fuels arms races, and hurts peace and stability in the region”.
