Source: People's Daily
The international community is seriously concerned about the cooperation between the United States, Britain, and Australia in nuclear submarines
People's Daily reporters Sun Guangyong, Zhang Penghui, and Zhang Yuannan
The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia recently announced the establishment of a so-called "trilateral security partnership" and plans for nuclear submarine cooperation. The international community is gravely concerned about this, believing that this move runs counter to the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has a huge impact on the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and may trigger a new round of arms race, posing a serious challenge to regional peace and stable development.
Dave Laxono, a member of the First Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Indonesian Parliament, said in a statement issued by the Indonesian Parliament recently that the us-Britain-Australia nuclear submarine cooperation will have an impact on the security and stability of the ASEAN region, and the Indonesian Parliament demands that the government take immediate diplomatic countermeasures. Indonesia does not want ASEAN to be divided by the Trilateral Security Partnership.
Indonesia's foreign ministry issued a statement saying Indonesia was "very concerned about the ongoing arms race in the region and the projection of military power." Indonesian Foreign Minister Reiterno said at a joint press conference with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifdin that the two sides expressed deep concern about Australia's development of nuclear submarines under the framework of the "Trilateral Security Partnership". All parties must continue their efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region and avoid the current situation leading to an arms race.
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail said in a statement issued by the prime minister's office that the "trilateral security partnership" would exacerbate tensions and could trigger a regional arms race. Malaysian Defence Minister Hisham Din said that the Malaysian side urged Australian Defence Minister Dalton to contact Brunei, the current rotating chairman of ASEAN, as well as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, listen to the views of various countries on the "Australia-Anglo-American alliance" and respond to the concerns of ASEAN countries on regional security.
Philippine presidential office spokesman Locke said President Rodrigo Duterte was concerned that the alliance announced by Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom could trigger a nuclear arms race.
Pakistan's Senate Defence Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussein said the establishment of the "Anglo-American alliance" embodied a Cold War mentality and was "the wrong deal made at the wrong time and on the wrong grounds". He said the Asia-Pacific region needs peace, security and cooperation, but the alliance is sowing the seeds of a new Cold War that will bring new conflicts to the region.
According to KCNA, the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the decision of the United States to establish a "trilateral security partnership" with britain and Australia and transfer nuclear submarine construction technology to Australia, believing that this move was a "very dangerous act" of undermining the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region and triggering a chain of nuclear arms races. In response to a reporter's question, the director of the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Reporting Bureau said that the White House spokesman said that the decision was "for the security of the Indo-Pacific region", which means that as long as it is in its own interests, any country can spread nuclear technology, which just proves that the mastermind of undermining the international nuclear non-proliferation regime is the United States. The foreign ministry official said that the double standard behavior displayed by the new US administration since taking office has become more obvious, which not only undermines the universal international norms and order, but also seriously threatens world peace and stability.
Kiribati President Neshi Mamao pointed out that as a victim of the nuclear test between the United States and Britain and a member of the Pacific Island Countries, Kiribati is concerned about Australia's development of nuclear submarines and believes that any cooperation in the nuclear field should be discussed with neighboring countries first.
Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-in-Office Mashkov said the "trilateral security partnership" between the United States, Britain and Australia poses risks to regional security. He said the Russian side is closely monitoring the possible consequences of the US-Britain-Australia trilateral security partnership. The Russian side notes that the deployment of nuclear submarines in australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state, under the framework of the "Trilateral Security Partnership", may pose potential risks to the international and regional security and stability situation.
Malaysian political scientist Lee Pei Min believes that the "trilateral security partnership" will increase panic among regional countries, which may lead to a regional arms race and undermine regional stability. Li Peimin said that the United States holds double standards on many issues, as well as in nuclear non-proliferation.
Hoang Hon Hoon, vice president of the Vietnam Diplomatic Academy, wrote on the websites of Vietnam's Mundo et Est. and Viejo and the Foundation for International Studies that the "trilateral security partnership" has the potential to create new instability and negative impacts on the situation in the region.
Yang Baojun, a professor at the Billy PanonRong International College of Hosei University in Thailand, believes that the cooperation between the United States and Britain in nuclear submarines with Australia is a practice of "wiping the edges." Australia has uranium resources and mines exports, and if nuclear submarines are developed with the support of the United States and Britain, australia will most likely make progress in the processing of nuclear materials, which will increase the risk of nuclear proliferation.
Hugh White, a well-known Australian strategic expert, said Australia's nuclear-powered submarine deal with the United States and the United Kingdom is full of risks, putting Asia at risk of falling into the "Cold War" again.
Buwana, executive editor of Thailand's Bangkok Today newspaper, said that at present, ASEAN countries are concentrating on responding to the complex and severe new crown pneumonia epidemic and restoring their economies. The establishment of the "Trilateral Security Partnership" will undoubtedly add new pressure to regional countries and affect ASEAN's anti-epidemic recovery plan.
Surasi Tanatang, a researcher at the National Institute of Thailand, said that under the framework of the "Trilateral Security Partnership", Australia will have nuclear submarines for the first time, and the transfer of nuclear technology means that it is possible to divert it to the development of nuclear weapons technology, and the cooperation involves weapons-grade highly enriched uranium, which will pose a risk of nuclear proliferation and pose a threat to peace, stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Thanatang believes that all countries should uphold the concept of common, comprehensive cooperation and sustainable security, promote security cooperation, and build a security governance framework with regional characteristics in order to more effectively maintain regional peace, stability and development.
(People's Daily Bangkok, Brussels, Beijing, October 31)
Editor-in-charge: Xiao Tian