BEIJING, March 11. /TASS/. Growing cooperation within the AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) military bloc uniting Canberra, London and Washington poses a threat to regional peace and stability and increases the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing.

"Increasing military confrontation by boosting defense cooperation is a classic example of a Cold War mindset. These actions are raising the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons, stepping up the arms race in the Asia-Pacific region and undermining regional peace and stability," he pointed out, commenting on a Monday meeting of military officials from AUKUS countries.

Wang added that "any attempt to expand military cooperation between the US, the United Kingdom and Australia is a step in a more dangerous direction." The Chinese diplomat called on the AUKUS nations to heed the concerns of the international community and the countries of the region.

AUKUS is a security partnership between the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, which was established in September 2021 to carry out joint defense initiatives. One of the initiatives is aimed at assisting Australia in acquiring a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The second initiative is related to the joint development of military equipment in eight areas, including underwater systems, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, hypersonic aircraft, innovation and information-sharing technologies. The bloc’s members do not rule out that it could be expanded to partners and like-minded countries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, which is why Russia and China have expressed concern, urging AUKUS members to strictly comply with their commitments to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.