China and Russia oppose Australia's nuclear submarine acquisition: "Violation of nuclear non-proliferation principles"

China and Russia have expressed opposition to the United States' plan to export up to five nuclear-powered submarines to Australia by 2030.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing on the 14th in response to related questions, "It poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violates the purpose and intent of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," expressing "firm opposition."

Earlier, the leaders of the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States security alliance) member countries issued a joint statement the previous day, announcing plans for the United States to sell three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia starting in the early 2030s, with the possibility of selling two additional submarines if necessary.

Regarding this, spokesperson Wang strongly criticized, saying, "The joint statement announced by the US, UK, and Australia shows that the three countries are increasingly moving down a path of errors and risks, completely ignoring the concerns of the international community for their geopolitical self-interests." He added, "China urges the three countries to listen to the voices of the international community and regional countries, abandon outdated Cold War zero-sum thinking and narrow geopolitical ideologies, faithfully fulfill their international obligations, and refrain from actions that undermine regional and global peace and stability."

Russia also expressed concerns about the AUKUS joint statement. According to local media on the same day, Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, mentioned, "There are concerns regarding the (nuclear) non-proliferation principle," and "Since special transparency is required, it is necessary to answer the raised questions."

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, also criticized in a speech broadcast on the same day, stating, "The West is promoting a long-term confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region by creating organizations like AUKUS and expanding NATO military facilities into Asia."