China criticized AUKUS as a Cold War tool || Спецвыпуск 19.09.2021

This is a special program from the ANNA NEWS. I am Constantine Reztsov.

The creation of the defense alliance ’AUKUS’ by Australia, the UK and the USA has caused a dissatisfaction not only with France, which has lost the Australian contract for 56 billions of euros, but also China and Indonesia.

Beijing has declared that the ’AUKUS’ Indo-Pacific Pact concluded by the Australians, British and Americans undermines the «regional peace and stability», and fuels an arms race.

According to the AUKUS — the Australian fleet will receive at least 8 nuclear submarines. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian stated that the export of nuclear technology from the USA and the UK is «extremely irresponsible», and the West should «abandon the outdated zero-sum game of the Cold War».

Indonesia expressed «a deep concern about the ongoing arms race and the projection of power in the region.»

On Friday, Australia rejected criticism from China. According to the Australians, their alliance is intended to enhance the peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

China has applied for an inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Japan, which is chairing the TPP in 2021, will discuss the application with other member states. «It is necessary to determine if China meets the extremely high TPP standards» — the Japanese economic ministry stated on Friday.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which came into effect in 2018, has been signed by 11 countries so far, including Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The previous version of the TPP agreement included the USA, which left it in 2017 under Donald Trump. Initially the partnership was seen as an important economic counter-balance to the growing Chinese regional influence.

For China, inclusion in the TPP would be a big boost after the TPP signed a Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership with 14 other countries in 2020, thus making one of the largest free trade zones in the world.

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