China warns AUKUS sub deal could make Australia 'potential nuclear war target'

The trilateral AUKUS deal between Australia, UK and the US has faced considerable backlash from China. After Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian dubbed the deal as a "threat" to regional peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, now a state-run newspaper has picked on Australia saying Canberra is now a "potential target for a nuclear strike." According to ANI, the newspaper published an article with the headline "Nuke sub deal could make Australia potential nuclear war target."

The article quoted the Chinese military officials who said that "AUKUS will potentially make Australia a target of a nuclear strike if a war breaks out" since the US is refraining the island continent from owning ballistic missiles. This is not the first time a Chinese state-run publication criticised the AUKUS pact. Earlier, the Global Times also dubbed the US presence in the Asia-Pacific region as "naive" and "cold war gambit."  The reactions came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden declared the signing of the trilateral maritime security deal on September 17 amidst Chinese aggression in the Southeast Asian waters.

China warns Australia against "external interference" in the southeast China Sea

Australia's defence partnership with the United Kingdom and the United States was met with strong criticism by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr. Jinping on September 17 warned the island continent of avoiding engagement of "external interference" in the Southeastern waters. "Australia could far the most dangerous consequence of being cannon fodder in the event or a military showdown in the region," Al Jazeera quoted Xi Jinping as saying on September 17. Furthermore, during an interview at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Friday, he also appealed to the Southeast-Asian nations' head of state to "absolutely resist external forces to interfere (in) countries in our region at any excuse, and hold the future of the countries' development and progress firmly in our own hands," Al Jazeera reported.

Australia may reject China's TPP proposal amidst escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific

Following the current dialogues, Australia has hinted that it may decline to be a part of China's Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The decision came amidst the deteriorating relations between Beijing and Canberra after the trilateral AUKUS deal between Australia, UK, and the US. On September 17, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment Dan Tehan indicated that unless China revokes "additional" tariffs imposed on goods imported from Australia, it will not accept the TPP, ANI reported.

According to ANI, relations between Australia and China have begun to sour since 2018 after Canberra refused to grant permission to Chinese tech company Huawei to set up 5G towers in the island continent. Following this, the relations between the nations continued to remain fray after Australia called for an independent investigation into the origins of the novel Coronavirus. Additionally, the countries are also at loggerheads after Beijing imposed hefty tariffs on Australian imports. Currently, Australia has drawn severe jibe from Beijing after it signed the "historic" deal to acquire nuclear-powered submarines from the US and UK.

With inputs from ANI and AP

Image: AP (representative)