China warns of threat of nuclear proliferation

Published:

13 Sep 2022 10:21 GMT

According to a senior Chinese diplomat, “AUKUS goes beyond the existing international non-proliferation regime and the mandate of the IAEA Secretariat.”

China’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Vienna, Wang Qun, accused this Monday to the US, the UK and Australia of carrying out risky transfers of nuclear materials within the framework of the AUKUS alliance.

The senior diplomat assured that the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has decided to establish a formal item on the agenda on “transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons” at the request of China.

Wang Qun stressed, aforementioned by Xinhua, that “AUKUS goes beyond the existing international non-proliferation regime and the mandate of the IAEA Secretariat.” “The issue should not be addressed by the three countries alone and should be addressed by the IAEA member states,” he added.

“We hope that these three countries […] Do not continue to act as a destroyer of the international order, a destroyer of multilateralism and a destroyer of world peace,” the Chinese representative concluded.

The AUKUS trilateral cooperation, established in September from 2021 by the US, the UK and Australia, expects Washington to help Canberra with the technology needed to equip itself with nuclear-powered submarines. Australia expects to receive up to eight nuclear-powered submersibles, while insisting on its commitment to nonproliferation nuclear, since it does not plan to possess weapons of this type.