During a visit to Papua New Guinea on April 20, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused partners in the AUKUS security agreement of causing division and increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation in the South Pacific. Wang Yi warned that the AUKUS agreement between the US, UK and Australia goes against the South Pacific treaty banning nuclear weapons in the region. He also emphasized that the agreement increases the risk of nuclear proliferation.
In recent years, China has been trying to reduce the influence of the US and Australia in the South Pacific, including Papua New Guinea. Despite Australia being the largest donor to Papua New Guinea, Chinese companies have a strong presence in its market. Under the AUKUS agreement, Australia will purchase nuclear submarines from the US and develop new ships based on US and British technology, with only conventional weapons onboard.
Wang Yi criticized recent efforts to involve more countries in confrontational initiatives, mentioning potential cooperation with Japan on military technology. The AUKUS partners plan to develop advanced combat capabilities such as artificial intelligence and hypersonic missiles. Although there are concerns about an arms race in the region, Australia has stated that the agreement does not promote one.
Australia has been promoting its relationship with China while also trying to improve relations with other countries. Despite reassurances from both China and other countries that AUKUS does not pose a threat to regional stability, tensions over this issue remain high.
Overall, tensions over this issue demonstrate how complex geopolitical dynamics can be in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
