The leaders of the US, Britain and Australia will meet in San Diego next week to announce a way forward for nuclear submarines, a landmark step in military cooperation as concerns grow over China
Nuclear-powered submarines would allow Australia in the coming decades to maintain an underwater presence for months, offering an advantage as China's military expands its reach.
US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will gather on Monday in the California naval hub to flesh out the new three-way security pact dubbed AUKUS which the nations unveiled in September 2021. "We urge the US, the UK and Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, honour international obligations in good faith and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.
China in recent months reached a controversial security pact with the Solomon Islands and has not ruled out the use of force to take Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that is claimed by Beijing and effectively blocks it from projecting military power deeper into the Pacific.AUKUS infuriated France as Australia abruptly scrapped a $66 billion deal to buy French conventional submarines.
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