BEIJING is in a panic over Australia’s decision to fast-track its fleet of nuclear submarines, according to Taiwanese intelligence.
Taipei’s defence sources said this week that Chinese officials were caught off guard by the AUKUS partnership and viewed it as a “major threat” to the regional ambitions of China’s Communist Party.
- China regards AUKUS more seriously than the Quad – especially the submarine part.
- Xi Jinping has personally attacked AUKUS, describing it as “provocative”.
- Japan & Australia sign defence agreement allowing both nations to fight side-by-side.
The AUKUS security partnership between Canberra, London and Washington aims to strengthen joint defence capabilities and will see Australia take delivery of a fleet of “off-the-shelf” nuclear-powered subs.
Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs & National Defence Committee spokesman Wang Ting-yu said alarm bells were ringing in China as a result.
QUAD
“They regard AUKUS more seriously than the Quad – especially the submarine part,” Mr Ting-yu said.
“That’s a very big alarm to Beijing,” he said. “They’re facing historical challenges, or historical co-operation, to choke them inside their near seas.”
A fuming Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has personally attacked the AUKUS arrangement, describing it as “provocative”.
He even enlisted his northern neighbour, Russian president Vladimir Putin, to condemn the Anglo-American pact with Australia.
A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, said the deal “escalates regional tensions”.
“It stimulates an arms race, threatens regional peace & stability and undermines international nuclear non-proliferation efforts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Australia has all but ignored China’s annoyance, this week formalising defence ties with common WWII enemy, Japan.
In what is Japan’s biggest defence pact in more than 60 years, the deal will see significantly greater military co-operation between Tokyo and Canberra.
It will involve ramping up joint exercises, faster deployments and the ability of the two nations to undertake military action side-by-side.
The deal was initiated by former PM Tony Abbott in 2014 and is the first of its kind that Japan has entered into.PC
Brett, you are way too extreme for me. I’d like the Libs to behold the Menzies/Howard tradition. I’m not sure revolution is required just yet. But I’m open to it.
China isn’t rattled at all. Without any debate whatsoever dictator Clot Morrison has committed Australia to Japan. A country which tried to invade Australia. The Chinese generally speaking do not venture further than their near abroad. Chinese people are more likely become good Aussie migrants rather than an external threat. What do Australians have to protect ourselves from anyway. Clot Morrison has brought about a covid dictatorship. Smart people might see the CCP as liberators from Morrison, Chant, Hazzardous, Andrews, Palace-Chook, the maniac in the NT and Marshmallow. I would never fight any external threat for these domestic tin-pot dictators. It’s just like communist Vietnam invading ultra-communist Democratic Kampuchea. Communist Vietnam were viewed as political liberators. I say Ni hau ma CCP.