Chinese embassy urges U.S., UK and Australia to stop forming exclusionary blocs

The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom on Tuesday voiced firm opposition to the insistence of the U.S., the UK and Australia on advancing the so-called trilateral security partnership in disregard of the wide concerns of regional countries and the international community about nuclear proliferation risks.

An embassy spokesperson made the remarks on Tuesday, in response to a question concerning a joint statement by the defense ministers of the three countries claiming that they are considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects.

The spokesperson said such moves will inevitably escalate the risk of nuclear proliferation, exacerbate arms race in the Asia-Pacific, and undermine regional peace and stability. "China is gravely concerned and firmly opposed to this."

Defense chiefs of the U.S., the UK and Australia announced their plan to include Japan in their controversial trilateral security alliance on Monday.

The first pillar of AUKUS aims to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, as well as deepen cooperation on a range of other advanced defense technologies. The second pillar, peddled by U.S. officials recently, has a clear strategic intention to involve more countries in the security pact, with a focus on delivering advanced capabilities and sharing technologies across a range of areas including quantum computing, artificial intelligence and cyber technologies.

"We urge the U.S., the UK and Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality, stop cobbling together exclusionary blocs, and cease stirring trouble and camp confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region," the diplomat said. "Japan must learn lessons from history and be prudent about its words and actions when it comes to military security."

(Cover: Qinzhou Port in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, October 26, 2023. /Xinhua)