Biden hosts Yoon for a state visit during a moment of heightened anxiety for both leaders over an increased pace of ballistic missile tests by North Korea over the last several months. The planned dock visits are a key element of what's being dubbed the "Washington Declaration," aimed at deterring North Korea from carrying out an attack on its neighbor. The White House released the agreement, and senior Biden administration officials spelled out the details ahead of time. nuclear-armed submarines dock in South Korea for the first time in more than 40 years, a conspicuous show of support to Seoul amid growing concern about nuclear threats by North Korea. In the meantime, China calls on all IAEA member states to actively promote the intergovernmental process, find a solution to the safeguards issues in relation to the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation, safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime with the NPT as the cornerstone, and maintain international peace and security.Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday are signing an agreement that includes plans to have U.S. We also urge the IAEA Secretariat to perform its duties strictly in accordance with its mandate and not to endorse the act of nuclear proliferation by the three countries. Pending the consensus reached by all IAEA member states, the IAEA Secretariat should not reach any deal with Australia between themselves.Ĭhina urges the US, the UK and Australia to earnestly fulfill their non-proliferation obligations and refrain from undermining the authority and efficacy of the IAEA’s safeguards system. The safeguards issues involved in nuclear submarine cooperation should be discussed and agreed upon by all interested IAEA member states through an intergovernmental process, taking into account the Agency’s previous practice of strengthening the safeguards system. This concerns the interest of all IAEA member states. An arrangement reached between Australia and the Agency invoking Article 14 would set an egregious precedent. Third, safeguards issues related to nuclear submarine cooperation should be jointly discussed and decided by the international community. The US, the UK, Australia and the IAEA Secretariat have no right whatsoever to make interpretations of their own. All these are widely perceived as outstanding issues in the field of international nuclear arms control. However, the international community has not reached any consensus on the definition of such military activity and there are huge divergences on the applicability of Article 14. They claimed that Article 14 of the Agency’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) allows for non-application of safeguards for the use of nuclear material in a non-proscribed military activity. What the three countries really want is the IAEA’s exemption of safeguards for Australia’s nuclear submarines, which runs counter to what they said about setting the highest non-proliferation standards. Second, the US, the UK, Australia and the IAEA Secretariat have no right to make a deal between themselves on the safeguards issues in relation to AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation. Therefore, such cooperation poses serious nuclear proliferation risks, and is in contravention of the object and purpose of the NPT and deals a blow to the international non-proliferation regime. There is nothing in the current IAEA safeguards system that can ensure effective safeguards, and there is no guarantee that these nuclear materials will not be diverted by Australia to build nuclear weapons.
The AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation marks the first time in history for nuclear weapon states to transfer naval nuclear propulsion reactors and large amounts of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium to a non-nuclear weapon state. I need to stress three points.įirst, the US, the UK and Australia asserted they will fulfill nuclear non-proliferation commitments, yet this is nothing but a high-sounding rhetoric to deceive the world. Wang Wenbin: China is gravely concerned about the IAEA Director General’s latest statement in relation to the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation and firmly opposed to the US, the UK and Australia’s coercing the IAEA Secretariat into endorsement on the safeguards issues. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement that the Agency will consult with Australia to make an arrangement under Article 14 of Australia’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) in connection with the NPT to enable the Agency to meet its technical safeguards objectives for Australia. The three countries said they are committed to ensuring the highest non-proliferation standards are met, and would negotiate with the IAEA on safeguards arrangements. Dragon TV: On March 14, the US, the UK and Australia announced the pathway to nuclear submarine cooperation.
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