The Paper: According to reports, the IAEA Board of Governors convened a meeting on June 6 and decided for the third time to discuss issues related to AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation as a formal agenda item. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: For the third time, the IAEA Board of Governors Meeting decided by consensus to set up a formal agenda item to discuss “transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT” as called for by China. This is a clear indication that the transfer of weapons-grade nuclear materials involved in AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation has drawn close attention and grave concern from the international community.

As China has stressed repeatedly, AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation  constitutes severe nuclear proliferation risks, delivers a blow to the international non-proliferation system, exacerbates arms race, and undermines regional peace and stability. The issue of safeguards in the context of AUKUS cooperation has an important bearing on the international non-proliferation system and concerns the interests of all member states. As such, a decision on this matter should be made through discussion by all member states. The US, the UK and Australia should earnestly fulfill their nuclear non-proliferation obligations, support rather than thwart this inter-governmental discussion process, and refrain from conducting nuclear submarine cooperation before parties reach a consensus. 

China calls on all member states to support and actively participate in IAEA discussions of AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation to jointly defend the international non-proliferation system with the NPT as the cornerstone and safeguard world peace and security.