[Politico] Beijing is denouncing the U.S. government’s new "AUKUS" technology-sharing working group with the U.K. and Australia as a threat to peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday slammed the grouping as a reflection of "outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow-minded geopolitical perception" that "intensified" a regional arms race and harmed international non-proliferation efforts.
"How dare you defend yourselves, hegemonic running dogs!"
That rhetoric — including Zhao’s reference to "cliques" designed to target "third party" countries — reflects the Chinese government’s recognition that the U.S. has been able to rally allies in the Indo-Pacific to counter Beijing’s increasingly aggressive moves in the region. The AUKUS deal makes no explicit reference to China, but two U.S. officials noted that the subtext of the announcement is that this is another move by Western allies to push back on China’s rise in the military and technology arenas. But White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday responded to questions about the AUKUS agreement’s focus on China by insisting that it "is not about any one country," adding that "we do not seek conflict [with China]."
Zhao hinted that the Chinese government may accuse Australia of violating its commitment under the Treaty of Rarotonga, which includes prohibitions on the production, possession or acquisition of nuclear weapons.
That tactic would ignore or misconstrue the fact that the AUKUS deal includes equipping Australia with technology for nuclear propulsion, not nuclear weapons. Both President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison emphasized that Australia doesn’t seek a nuclear weapon. The three countries will undertake discussions over the next 18 months to figure out how best to deliver the technology, which the U.S. traditionally has only shared with the U.K. |
I have a couple of ideas involving foreign imports that might provide some relief.