China accuses US and UK of nuclear non-proliferation breach

China has accused the United States and Britain of violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) through their cooperation with Australia on the construction of nuclear submarines.

Lin Jian, the official spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, expressed strong criticism of the trilateral collaboration, which also involves the exchange of nuclear materials and information, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

According to Lin, this partnership between the US, the UK, and Australia undermines the objectives of the NPT, which is designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote peaceful nuclear energy use. The Chinese government views this as a direct breach of the treaty's goals.

The criticism follows an announcement by Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, who detailed a recent agreement between Canberra, Washington, and London. This agreement facilitates the exchange of nuclear materials and information related to nuclear submarine technology, as part of the AUKUS security pact.

Lin Jian raised concerns that this cooperation effectively involves transferring advanced nuclear technology and significant quantities of highly enriched weapons-grade uranium to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state. He warned that this poses a serious risk and is a "grave danger" to global security.

The Chinese diplomat further argued that such actions damage the credibility and effectiveness of the NPT and negatively impact the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which oversees compliance with nuclear agreements. Lin called for a halt to the nuclear submarine projects until an international consensus on safeguards and oversight is achieved.