North Korea: AUKUS Security Pact Could Trigger Nuclear Arms Race
North Korea has condemned the new security pact between the United States, Britain and Australia, saying it could spark a "nuclear arms race".
A North Korean Foreign Ministry official said the AUKUS Pact would "disrupt the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region".
The deal would see the US and UK provide Australia with the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.
Quoted from the BBC page, Monday (20/9/2021), this is widely seen as an attempt to counter China's influence in the disputed South China Sea.
The AUKUS pact was announced last week and will also cover cruise missiles, artificial intelligence and other technologies.
"This is a highly undesirable and dangerous act that will upset the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region and trigger a nuclear arms race chain," said a DPRK Foreign Ministry official referring to the three-nation security agreement.
Last week, North Korea conducted two major weapons tests - namely a long-range cruise missile and a ballistic missile.
China also criticized the deal with Beijing foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying the alliance risked "severely undermining regional peace and intensifying the arms race".
North Korea said it was "natural enough that neighboring countries such as China condemn this act as an irresponsible act to destroy regional peace and stability".
Australia's Future Capability
The deal will see the US share its submarine technology for the first time in 60 years, having previously shared it only once with the UK.
This means Australia will be able to build nuclear-powered submarines that are faster and harder to detect than a conventionally powered fleet.
They can remain submerged for months and fire long-range missiles -- although Australia says it has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons.
China permainan togel zaman digital was not mentioned directly during the announcement of the security arrangements. However, the leaders of the three countries have repeatedly cited regional security concerns that have "grown significantly".
North Korea also referenced earlier statements made by France, which called the deal a "stab in the back", and said the pact had caused a "serious crisis" between the allies.
France has criticized the Aukus pact for ending a $37 billion deal signed by Australia in 2016 for France to build 12 conventional submarines.
France said it had been notified of the pact just hours before a public announcement was made.