“Australia is now introducing nuclear submarine technology of strategic and military value,” he warned. Zhao also referred to AUKUS as a potential violation of the 1985 Treaty of Rarotonga that makes the South Pacific a nuclear weapons free zone. A day after it became public, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian blasted the pact as “extremely irresponsible” and one that “undermined regional peace and stability.” Under the deal announced on September 15, the United States and United Kingdom will help Australia acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. China is furious about the new AUKUS security partnership.
