Foreign Ministry: The United States, britain, and Australia are extremely irresponsible for their insistence on promoting nuclear submarine cooperation in defiance of international rules

Beijing, 22 Nov (Xinhua) -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular news conference on 22 November that it is extremely irresponsible for the United States, Britain, and Australia to defy international rules, concoct the so-called naval nuclear power information exchange agreement and insist on promoting nuclear submarine cooperation in disregard of the opposition of all parties.

A reporter asked: According to the news on the White House website on the 19th, the US president approved the memorandum of the "US-Uk-Australia Naval Nuclear Power Information Exchange Agreement", and said that the "Agreement" will make substantive contributions to strengthening defense and security cooperation between the three countries and deepen the trilateral security partnership between the United States, Britain and Australia. What is China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian said that China is seriously concerned about the nuclear submarine cooperation between the United States, Britain, and Australia, which deliberately aggravates regional tensions, stimulates an arms race, threatens regional peace and stability, and undermines international nuclear nonproliferation efforts. Many States have expressed grave concern about the possible negative consequences of such cooperation.

He said that under the current safeguards system, the IAEA cannot exercise effective supervision over the nuclear power reactors and their required weapons-grade nuclear materials that the United States and Britain intend to provide to Australia, and cannot guarantee that the relevant nuclear materials and technologies will not be diverted to the development of nuclear weapons. Therefore, this move by the United States, Britain and Australia will pose a huge risk of nuclear proliferation, clearly violate the object and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and will seriously impact the international nuclear non-proliferation system.

"It is extremely irresponsible for the United States, Britain, and Australia to flout international rules, concoct the so-called naval nuclear power information exchange agreement in spite of the opposition of all parties, and insist on promoting nuclear submarine cooperation." Zhao Lijian said, "I would like to ask, what information will the three countries share?" Is it consistent with the international obligations of each of the three States? Will it lead to nuclear proliferation? How can the three countries ensure that nuclear materials and technologies are not used for the development of nuclear weapons? How can we prevent their wrongdoing from provoking other countries to follow suit? The three Countries are under an obligation to give a clear account to the international community on these issues. Zhao Lijian said. (End)