British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that China is now actively challenging the international world order which is something the UK “must take seriously”.
He said that China’s growing influence now represents a “challenge” to the world order and called for Western nations to stand up to the increasingly powerful Eastern nation.
Breitbart reports: Sunak’s statement comes amid a newly agreed deal between the UK, U.S. and Australia which will see the former two nations supply the latter with nuclear submarines in an attempt to tip the military balance in the Indo-Pacific.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
According to a report by the BBC, Sunak views the deal as proving the UK’s “commitment to global security” in a world that is ever-increasingly fraught with political tensions.
Speaking in California, Sunak described the world as having become “more volatile”, adding that “threats to our security have increased” with the growth of opposition powers.
“China is a country with fundamentally different values to ours and it represents a challenge to the world order,” he said. “And that’s why it’s right that we are alert to that and take steps to protect ourselves… stand up for our values and protect our interests.”
The Prime Minister went on to say that the so-called AUKUS deal would deliver “one of the most advanced” submarines “the world has ever known” for both the Australian and British militaries, adding that the deal would provide Britons with thousands of jobs.
However, China is far less happy with the new deal, warning the Western allies on Tuesday that they are walking a dangerous road with their attempt to challenge the Communist state in the East.
“The latest joint statement from the US, UK and Australia demonstrates that the three countries, for the sake of their own geopolitical interests, completely disregard the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger,” Beijing spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
The government official went on to add that the submarine deal ultimately represented “a typical case of Cold War mentality”, adding that the move also “constitutes a severe nuclear proliferation risk, and violates the aims and objectives of the Non-Proliferation Treaty”.
Niamh Harris