By Ji Cheng

季澄

The US, the UK and Australia announced on September 15 to form a new military alliance called AUKUS, under which the US and the UK will provide Australia with nuclear submarine technology and help it form a nuclear submarine fleet as a demonstration of the alliance's early-stage cooperation. This means Canberra has unilaterally torn apart its USD 66billion (about RMB 438.9 billion) deal with France of 12 conventional submarines.

美英澳三国9月15日宣布组建名为“AUKUS（奥库斯）”的新安全联盟。作为该联盟的先行合作示范项目，美英将向澳提供核潜艇技术，助其组建核潜艇编队。此举意味着澳单方面撕毁与法国660亿美元（约合人民币4,389亿元）的12艘常规潜艇采购协议。

The nuclear submarine cooperation among Washington, London and Canberra further reflects the conflicts and rifts within the western world and exposes relevant countries’ exercise of “double standards” on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation. The step may cause overspill effects that will aggravate the arms race among regional countries and sabotage regional peace.

美英澳围绕核潜艇展开防务合作，不但进一步反映出西方内部矛盾与裂痕，更暴露相关国家在核不扩散问题上奉行的“双重标准”，引发的外溢效应或加剧地区国家间军备竞赛，冲击地区和平。

France responded most vehemently to the nuclear submarine deal among AUKUS. French foreign minister and defense minister issued a joint statement on September 15 accusing the US of forcing France to give up its submarine procurement agreement with Australia and pushing it out of the structural partnership with Australia, which is indeed an unpredictable “stab in the back”. It also slammed Canberra’s betrayal of their spirit of cooperation as unacceptable. As a result, France canceled celebrations at the French Embassy in the United States to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Chesapeake Bay. On September 17, French President Macron called back French ambassadors to the US and Australia to discuss Canberra’s unilateral breach of the agreement.

美英澳此番达成核潜艇建造协议，法国的回应最为激烈。法国外长和防长在15日发表的联合声明中，一方面指责美方的决定迫使法放弃与澳签署的潜艇采购协议，并将其排挤出与澳方的结构性伙伴关系，实属粗暴且不可预见的“背后捅刀”行为；另一方面批驳澳方的举动有违两国合作精神，不可接受。接着，法国取消与美国共同庆祝纪念“弗吉尼亚大海战240周年”活动。17日，法国总统马克龙下令，召回驻美澳两国大使，将就澳单方面撕毁协议一事进行磋商。

New Zealand, also a member of the Five Eyes alliance, felt indignant at Australia’s development of nuclear submarines, and its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand will continue to implement the ban on nuclear-powered vessels that took effect in 1985, and would never allow Australia’s nuclear submarines to enter its waters.

同为“五眼联盟”成员的新西兰，对澳方发展核潜艇的举动并不买账。新西兰总理阿德恩表示，该国将继续执行始于1985年的核动力舰艇禁令，决不允许澳核潜艇驶入新西兰附近海域。

Adam Bandt, Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens, didn’t support Morrison’s choice and compared nuclear submarines to a “floating Chernobyl” in the current maritime security environment. Canberra blindly following Washington’s military strategy will put itself at the “forefront” of an escalated regional conflict and that doesn’t fit its position as a “middle power”.

在澳国内，绿党党首亚当·班特表示不认可莫里森政府的选择，并将核潜艇在当前海上安全环境中的处境比作“浮动的切尔诺贝利”。而澳政府一味追随美国的军事战略取向，将把自身置于地区冲突升级的“最前线”，并不符合澳“中等国家”的定位。

Besides, considering the long period needed for the design and construction of nuclear submarines, and the long talks about related sensitive technologies, even Morrison has to admit that the submarine may not be able to serve until 2040.

此外，考虑到核潜艇本身设计建造的长周期属性，以及围绕相关敏感技术展开的漫长谈判进程，甚至连莫里森本人也不得不承认，澳核潜艇恐将推迟至2040年服役。

In her recent State of the Union address, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said “what has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity – it is the lack of political will.” After the recent incident, France, as the chief proponent of EU integration, has displayed a strong will to reinforce Europe’s “strategic independence”. Taking the opportunity of hosting the Summit on European defence next year, it will definitely take steps to further converge the parties and get ready for taking military interventions without the participation of NATO.

欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩近期发表“盟情咨文”表示，“阻碍欧盟在军事领域合作的不仅是能力不足，更是政治意愿的缺失”。此次事件后，作为欧盟一体化主要推动者，法国已表现出强化欧洲“战略自主”的意愿。明年恰逢法国主办欧盟防务峰会，法方势必借此进一步凝聚各方意志，为在缺少北约参与的情况下实施军事干预行动做足准备。

As nuclear states, the US and the UK have strictly restricted and suppressed the nuclear programs of countries like Iran, yet they are now supporting Australia in developing military-use nuclear technologies – such practice of double standards is indeed too flagrant and outrageous. In the meanwhile, as a contracting party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty, Australia’s insistence on developing nuclear submarines incurs questions on its sincerity in honoring its commitment under the treaties.

美英作为拥核国家，一方面对伊朗等国核计划施以严格限制和打压，另一方面却扶持澳发展军用核技术，这种明目张胆的双标做法自欺欺人。而澳作为《不扩散核武器条约》《南太平洋无核武器区条约》的双重缔约国，执意发展核潜艇，使外界对其恪守条约承诺的诚意打上问号。

Trying to forge an exclusive regional security alliance based on their Cold War and zero-sum mindset and ideology, the US, the UK and Australia will exacerbate the arms race among relevant countries and undermine the enduring peace and stability in the region.

可见，美英澳以冷战零和思维与意识形态划线，打造排他性地区安全联盟的做法，将在无形中加剧相关国家间军备竞赛，有损地区长治久安。