By Nie Shuyi
聂舒翼
The US, the UK and Australia announce their cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines at a ceremony held at Naval Base San Diego in California. (Photo from Reuters)
On March 15, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that China is gravely concerned about the IAEA Director General's latest statement in relation to the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation and firmly opposed to the US, the UK and Australia's coercing the IAEA Secretariat into endorsement on the safeguards issues. The three countries asserted they will fulfill nuclear non-proliferation commitments, yet this is nothing but high-sounding rhetoric to deceive the world. Therefore, their cooperation poses serious nuclear proliferation risks, is in contravention of the object and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and deals a blow to the international non-proliferation system.
3月15日，中国外交部发言人汪文斌表示，中方坚决反对美英澳胁迫国际原子能机构秘书处在保障监督问题上为其核潜艇合作背书。美英澳所谓遵守核不扩散承诺的表态，纯属欺世盗名。三国核潜艇合作构成严重核扩散风险，违反不扩散核武器条约的目的和宗旨，冲击国际核不扩散体系。
It is reported that the UK and the US have set their sights on establishing a rotational presence of one UK Astute-class submarine and up to four US Virginia-class submarines at HMAS Stirling, located near Perth in Western Australia, as early as 2027, and a new submarine base will be built on the east coast of Australia to support the nation's new nuclear-powered submarines. After 2030, the US will first sell three second-hand Virginia class submarines to Australia, and gradually deliver new nuclear submarines over the next 20 years or so. By 2058, Australia will have had a new fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines.
据悉，最早从2027年开始，四艘美国和一艘英国潜艇将开始轮换进驻位于澳大利亚西海岸的斯特灵皇家海军基地，澳大利亚也将在东海岸地区建设新的潜艇基地。2030年后，美国将先向澳大利亚出售三艘二手弗吉尼亚级核潜艇，并在随后的20多年里逐步交付新的核潜艇，到2058年，澳大利亚将拥有8艘核潜艇组成的新舰队。
This move by the three countries could bring great instability to regional security. As early as September 15, 2021, they announced the establishment of the so-called AUKUS trilateral security partnership and expressed their support for Australia's building of a nuclear submarine force. Concerns about the serious security crisis that this move would cause in the Asia Pacific region have come forward ever since.
三国此举将给地区安全局势带来巨大不稳定因素。早在2021年9月15日美英澳三国宣布建立所谓“三边安全伙伴关系”（以下称“奥库斯”）、并表示将支持澳大利亚建立核潜艇部队，关于此举将在亚太地区造成严重的安全危机的担忧就不绝于耳。
On February 7, 2023, US Admiral Harry Harris Jr. testified at a congressional hearing that delivering nuclear submarines to Australia "will change the balance of power in the region". Allan Behm, director of the International & Security Affairs Program at the Australian independent think tank Australian Institute, pointed out that Australia's construction of nuclear submarines may prompt other allies of the US to make similar requests, thereby posing a risk of an arms race.
今年2月7日，美国海军上将哈里·哈里斯在国会听证会作证时表示，向澳大利亚交付核潜艇“将改变地区的力量平衡”。独立公共政策智库澳大利亚研究所国际和安全事务项目主管艾伦·贝姆就指出，澳大利亚建造核潜艇可能促使美国的其他盟友提出类似要求，从而带来军备竞赛的风险。
At the same time, Australia itself may also become an important risk factor in regional instability. Valery Kistanov, director of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with Sputnik, "The AUKUS movement may result in regional instability." Paul Keating, former Prime Minister of Australia and former leader of the Australian Labor Party, issued a statement on March 15, reading that the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal is the worst decision made by the Australian Labor Party over the past century or so, and blamed Australia for uncritically catering to the strategic will of the US.
同时，澳大利亚自身也可能成为地区不稳定风险的重要因素。俄罗斯科学院远东研究所日本研究中心主任瓦列里·基斯塔诺夫在接受俄罗斯卫星通讯社采访时就表示，“‘奥库斯’的行动将导致该地区的不稳定”。澳大利亚前总理、工党前领导人基廷15日发表声明称，美英澳核潜艇交易是一个多世纪以来澳大利亚工党做的最糟糕决定，澳大利亚不加批判地迎合了美国的战略意愿。
The deal could also invalidate these efforts made to build a denuclearized region in the South Pacific Area. As early as September 15, 2021, New Zealand announced that it would adhere to its "nuclear-free policy" and prohibit Australian nuclear submarines from entering New Zealand following the release of the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. On March 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia issued a statement stating that "it is hoped that Australia will continue to comply with its obligations as guaranteed by the NPT and IAEA."
这项交易也可能打破南太平洋地区多年来致力于建立无核化地区的努力。早在2021年9月15日“奥库斯”宣布核潜艇交易之后，新西兰就宣布将坚持该国的“无核政策”，禁止澳大利亚核潜艇进入新西兰。3月14日，印度尼西亚外交部发表声明称，“希望澳大利亚继续履行其在《不扩散和武器条约》和国际原子能机构保障措施下的义务”。
It is extremely sarcastic that over the past few years, the US has continuously intervened in the plans of some small countries in the peaceful use of nuclear energy on the grounds of "preventing nuclear proliferation" while taking its own geopolitical interests into account. Now, the US, also for its own geopolitical interests, is willing to transact its highly sensitive nuclear technologies and disrupt the order of regional cooperation. The US' naked double standard act has exposed its true face of seeking selfish gains under the pretext of upholding international law.
极为讽刺的是，过去这些年里出于地缘政治利益，美国不断以“防止核扩散”为由，对一些小国和平利用核技术的计划横加干涉。而现在，为了自己的地缘政治利益，美国却不惜用高度敏感的核技术做交易，破坏地区合作秩序。这种赤裸裸的双标行径，将其对国际规则“合则用、不合则弃”的真面目暴露无遗。
The Asia Pacific region has developed into the most dynamic and fastest-growing region in the world, which is closely related to the peace and stability created by the concerted efforts of regional countries over the past 40 years. If the US, the UK and Australia really want to make efforts to seek regional prosperity and development, as well as global peace and stability, they should carefully listen to the voices of the international community and regional countries, discard the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical mindset, earnestly fulfill its international obligations, and refrain from doing anything that undermines regional and world peace and stability.
亚太地区能够成为世界上最具活力、增长最快的地区，与过去40多年里地区国家协力合作创造出的和平稳定局面密切相关。美英澳三国若真想为地区繁荣发展计、为全球和平稳定计，就应认真倾听国际社会和地区国家的呼声，摒弃陈旧的冷战零和思维和狭隘的地缘政治理念，切实履行国际义务，不要做破坏地区和世界和平稳定的事。
Editor's note: Originally published on haiwainet.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
