Designated AUKUS, the security pact between Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. delivers Australia an exponentially more powerful submarine force than its originally planned purchase of conventional submarines from France. Frances’s own reaction to losing the contract with Australia, although biting, is nonetheless mild in comparison to China’s rhetoric.
Initially, China’s response was characterized by statements calling AUKUS “extremely irresponsible.” A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the pact “seriously undermines regional peace and intensifies the arms race.” The reaction was, diplomatically speaking, strong but measured.
