Other Chinese diplomats and experts, perhaps realizing that AUKUS is not in violation of international law, described it instead as an Australian attempt to “exploit loopholes by playing dirty,” which “tramples on the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.” Russia, India, and China all have nuclear attack submarine fleets in the region. Furthermore, Australia is not a signatory to the Treaty of Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (Bangkok Treaty), while the South Pacific Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Rarotonga Treaty) does not place any restrictions on nuclear-powered vessels.
To be sure, the international Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) does not prohibit the use of nuclear material for non-explosive military purposes. hopes that Australia will serve as an anti-China ‘yardstick’ and ‘southern anchor’ of the overall ‘Indo-Pacific strategy.’” Fear of nuclear proliferationĬhinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs in Geneva, Lǐ Sōng 李松, described AUKUS on October 15 as a “textbook case of nuclear proliferation.” Huá Chūnyíng 华春莹, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, further listed five concerns about Australia’s handling of highly enriched uranium. “As a result,” concurs Chén Xiǎochén 陈晓晨, director of East China Normal University’s Asia Pacific Research Center, “so-called ‘minilateralism’ has emerged as a key tool for the U.S. to persuade some Western countries to join its Indo-Pacific strategy.” Emphasizing Australia’s key role therein, Chen adds that “the U.S. purported containment policy is struggling to gain traction with the majority of countries that still see China as a strategic partner. According to Lǐ Hǎidōng 李海东 of the China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of International Relations, AUKUS demonstrates that “America lacks the strength and stamina to strategically contain China and engage in great power competition in the Western Pacific, so it urgently requires the assistance of dependable allies.” Others see AUKUS as an American retrenchment and strategic readjustment in the face of “great changes unseen in a century,” i.e., a presumed U.S. decline relative to China, and the growing perception of a “China threat” in the West. All three view AUKUS as part of a larger Indo-Pacific geostrategic competition that “clearly means beefing up combat readiness in the near future in preparation for possible conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.” “Its long-term goal is to improve control of maritime security in the West Pacific,” explain Ān Gāng 安刚 and Sūn Chénghào 孙成昊 of Tsinghua’s Center for International Strategy and Security (CISS). That AUKUS is meant to contain China’s rise is “obvious at a glance,” according to retired PLA general and military commentator Zhāng Yuánwěi 张元伟. Chinese scholars and government advisers’ anxieties can be classified into three broad categories: Fear of containment AUKUS has focused many of its fears on the future of the Indo-Pacific. Mainland scholars and analysts’ responses to AUKUS display genuine concern - if not outright fear - of a U.S.-led “West” coalition with Japan against China. It is also fair to point - as many have - to Beijing’s growing assertiveness toward its neighbors, its historically unprecedented military and naval buildup, and its utter incapacity to introspect on and acknowledge its own role in escalating regional tensions and arms racing.īut the threat perception in China is real. It is easy to dismiss Chinese “dangers” as foreign-facing talking points, or to focus on mouth-frothing provocations by the commercial tabloid Global Times.
Lead to the resurgence of the Cold War mentality.Sabotage the building of a nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia.Undermine regional prosperity and stability.Trigger the risk of nuclear proliferation.Whereas a joint statement by the leaders of the AUKUS countries talks of a commitment to freedom, human dignity, rule of law, respect for sovereignty, and a peaceful fellowship of nations, China sees “danger,” as enumerated by Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wáng Yì 王毅 in a list of “five harms to the region” caused by AUKUS, which he said may:
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