Australia yesterday said that it had signed a deal to allow the exchange of nuclear secrets and material with the US and the UK, a key step toward equipping its navy with nuclear-powered submarines.
It binds the three to security arrangements for the transfer of sensitive US and UK nuclear material and know-how as part of the tripartite AUKUS security accord.
AUKUS, which envisages building an Australian nuclear-powered submarine fleet and jointly developing advanced fighting capabilities, is seen as a strategic answer to Chinese military ambitions in the Pacific.
Photo: AFP
“This agreement is an important step toward Australia’s acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said.
The acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet would set the “highest non-proliferation standards,” he said, adding that the nation is not seeking nuclear weapons.
The latest deal — signed in Washington last week and tabled in the Australian parliament yesterday — includes a provision for Australia to indemnify its partners against any liability for nuclear risks from material sent to the nation.
Nuclear material for the subs’ propulsion would be transferred from the US or the UK in “complete, welded power units,” it says.
Australia would be responsible for the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste from the nuclear power units.
“Submarines are an essential part of Australia’s naval capability, providing a strategic advantage in terms of surveillance and protection of our maritime approaches,” the deal says.
Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on a visit to Australia in April warned that AUKUS raises “serious nuclear proliferation risks.”
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