China warns Australia of ‘bloc confrontation’ after Donald Trump’s AUKUS endorsement
Beijing has condemned Australia’s nuclear submarine pact as increasing the risk of “arms race” just hours after Donald Trump promised to expedite the controversial deal.
China has delivered a chilling warning to Australia after Anthony Albanese secured an enthusiastic endorsement of the AUKUS pact from Donald Trump.
President Trump praised the trilateral pact and described it as a deterrent to China, prompting a warning from the Chinese government that it opposed “bloc confrontation”.
“China has made clear more than once its position on the so-called trilateral security partnership between the US, the UK and Australia designed to advance co-operation on nuclear submarines and other cutting-edge military technologies,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
“We oppose bloc confrontation and anything that increases the risk of nuclear proliferation and exacerbates (the) arms race.”
The emphasis on AUKUS comes as China’s rapid military build-up and aggression toward Taiwan and the Philippines drives fears of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
When questioned about foreign interference in Taiwan, China’s position had remained “consistent and clear”, Mr Jiakun said.
“Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair and a matter for the Chinese ourselves to resolve.
“We stand ready to strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and the greatest effort, but we will never ever allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China in any way.”
The terms of the AUKUS agreement could change with US Navy Secretary John Phelan revealing there were plans to change the original framework in the interest of all three countries.
Mr Phelan said the Submarine Rotational Force near Perth was “critical and very important to our ability to project power in the Indo Pacific”.
“So we’re working very closely,” he said.
“I think what we’re really trying to do is take the original AUKUS framework and improve it for all three parties, and make it better and clarify some of the ambiguity that was in the prior agreement.”
Mr Trump said there had been great progress with the “rapidly” moving deal that he said moved too slowly under the Biden administration.
“The submarine building for Australia is really moving along,” Mr Trump said.
“Nobody did anything about it – it was moving too slowly.”
Asked whether the US would be in a position to begin handing over Virginia-class submarines to Australia in the early 2030s as agreed, Mr Trump was confident the US would have sufficient capacity to fulfil its own needs as well as meet its obligations to Australia.
“We do have enough submarines. We have the best submarines in the world,” Mr Trump said.
“I think it’s really moving along very rapidly, very well.”
As the meeting began, Mr Trump said AUKUS would be a major talking point.
“We’re here to talk about trade, submarines,” Mr Trump said
He added the conversations would include “anything to do with military protection.”
“There’s never been anybody better – we fought wars together,” Mr Trump said of the alliance.
Asked if he viewed AUKUS as a deterrent to China, Mr Trump agreed.
“Yeah I do, I think it is, but I don’t think we need it ,” Mr Trump said, but noted he believed China would be “fine”.
“We have the best (military) equipment, the best of everything,” he said.
“Nobody’s going to mess with that.”
The bipartisan US Friends of Australia Caucus celebrated the successful meeting, saying it sent a message the alliance was iron-clad.
“Today’s meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Albanese sends a powerful message that our nation is serious about maintaining a strong US-Australia alliance and a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the co-chairs wrote in a statement.
“The new agreement between our two nations on rare earth minerals will prepare our industrial base to best contend with China’s near monopoly on production and processing.
“This agreement — along with the President’s clear support for expediting AUKUS, including the sale of Virginia-class submarines to Australia — will strengthen our already iron-clad alliance.”
Democratic Congressman Joe Courtney and Republican Michael McCaul are the co-chairs.
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Originally published as China warns Australia of ‘bloc confrontation’ after Donald Trump’s AUKUS endorsement
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