China, Russia say deal on Aukus submarines totally disregards Intl. concerns, raises proliferation questions

China says a tripartite deal among the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia on the production of nuclear-powered Aukus submarines totally disregards international concerns while Russia slams the pact for raising questions about nuclear proliferation.

On Tuesday, Beijing denounced the US, the UK, and Australia for embarking on a "path of error and danger" and disregarding international concerns.

"The latest joint statement from the US, UK, and Australia demonstrates that the three countries, for the sake of their own geopolitical interests, completely disregard the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger," said China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin during a regular press conference.

He also said that Beijing did not want to "communicate for the sake of communicating" but that "the US side should come forward sincerely, with practical actions to promote China-US relations," which are at their lowest in decades.

Separately on Tuesday, Russia also slammed the tripartite pact.

"There are a lot of questions here related to the problem of non-proliferation. Here we need special transparency, and we need to answer the questions that arise," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at a press conference.

According to the latest annual report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia's own Pacific Fleet has 17 submarines, including three ballistic missile subs that are part of its strategic nuclear deterrent force.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been critical of the so-called AUKUS since its inception in 2021, saying that the trilateral security pact is fueling regional tensions by trying to counter China.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Tuesday said that the IAEA, "Ultimately, must ensure that no proliferation risks will emanate from this project."

"The legal obligations of the parties and the non-proliferation aspects are paramount," he added.

SS