Stop stirring up regional division, China warns US, UK, Australia

Washington, its allies must stop trilateral AUKUS defense pact, ‘not spread lies, erect obstacles’ for peace, says Beijing

China on Friday urged the US, UK and Australia to roll back their trilateral AUKUS defense pact and stop “stirring up regional division.”

“China urges US, UK, Australia to stop the AUKUS project, stop pushing to release nuclear wastewater, stop denying and beautifying historical aggression, and stop stirring up regional division,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Beijing.

“They should build peace, stability and development, not spread lies and erect obstacles.”

Unveiled in September last year, the AUKUS security pact is seen by Beijing as another attempt to counter China’s expanding economic and military influence.

For peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, “we need true multilateralism,” Wang added.

“The US, Japan and Australia’s ‘clique’ targeting other countries runs counter to regional peace and contradicts their stated opposition to coercion,” he said.

The statement came a day after Australia and Japan – both close allies of Washington – inked a bilateral defense treaty.

“China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the acts of the US, Japan and Australia that grossly interfere in China’s internal affairs, fabricate false information to discredit China and undermine unity and mutual trust among regional countries,” Wang was quoted as saying by Chinese daily Global Times.