Shi said the US, the UK and Australia had been active in addressing what they saw as China’s expansion of strategic activities, “so this is real strategic cooperation between like-minded countries”. Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said the agreement was “undoubtedly” about countering China, amid the “lowest levels of dialogue” between Beijing and the three nations. “Thus, Australian troops are also most likely to be the first batch of western soldiers to waste their lives in the South China Sea,” it said. The state-backed publication, which often goes further than official pronouncements, warned that Australia could be targeted as a warning to others if it acted “with bravado” in allegiance to the US, or by being “militarily assertive”. In particular, they should shake off their cold war mentality and ideological prejudice”.Ī bellicose English-language editorial in the hawkish Global Times said Australia had now “turned itself into an adversary of China”. Zhao said the three countries “should abandon the obsolete cold war zero sum mentality and narrow-minded geopolitical concepts and respect regional people’s aspiration and do more that is conducive to regional peace and stability and development – otherwise they will only end up hurting their own interests”.Įarlier, when asked for his response to the Aukus announcement, the Chinese embassy spokesperson in the US, Liu Pengyu, said countries “should not build exclusionary blocs targeting or harming the interests of third parties.
“China will closely monitor the situation.”
“The international community, including neighbouring countries, have risen to question commitment to nuclear non-proliferation,” Zhao said, according to a translation aired by ABC News. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said the US and UK’s decision to export highly sensitive nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia was a case of “extremely irresponsible” double standards.
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