London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

China accuses the US, UK and Australia of trying to build an Asia-Pacific NATO

China accuses the US, UK and Australia of trying to build an Asia-Pacific NATO

China says the recently created AUKUS security alliance and its pursuit of hypersonic weapons risks undermining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.

China has accused the US, UK and Australia of trying to build an "Asia-Pacific version of NATO" after the three countries announced that they will develop hypersonic weapons via the recently created AUKUS security alliance.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the plan after holding a check-in on the progress of AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific alliance that was launched by the three countries in September.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a daily briefing that the cooperation would "undermine peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region".

"The US, UK and Australia will cooperate in developing hypersonic weapons and other advanced military technology," Mr Zhao said.

"Their ultimate goal is to create the Asia-Pacific version of NATO and serve the US hegemony outright. Asia-Pacific countries are of course firmly opposed to this."

The US, UK and Australia security partnership will expand cooperation on hypersonic weapons.


The alliance comes amid growing concerns by the US and allies about China's growing military assertiveness in the Pacific.

Australia, the UK and the US have already begun work on deepening collaboration across a range of advanced military technologies, including cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum technology and undersea robotics.

They will now also develop hypersonics and counter-hypersonics missiles, as well as electronic warfare capabilities and information sharing.

Both China and Russia have made large strides testing advanced versions of hypersonic missiles that can hit distant targets at such high speeds that they cannot be readily intercepted by defence systems.

The weapons can carry nuclear payloads.

Most analysts say the United States is currently lagging behind both Beijing and Moscow on the technology, although the Pentagon reportedly conducted its own successful tests last month.

Australia is also trying to develop its own advanced missiles — including hypersonics — under several defence initiatives announced by the federal government.

Mr Zhao criticised the AUKUS partnership as "an Anglo-Saxon clique" that followed "the mentality of Cold War and bloc politics".

"We urge the US, UK and Australia to face up to the aspirations of Asia-Pacific countries to seek peace and development, promote cooperation and achieve win-win results," he said.

"We urge them to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, faithfully fulfil their international obligations, and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability."

Separately, Mr Zhao condemned the US-proposed sale of equipment related to the Patriot air defence system to Taiwan, saying China would "take strong measures to resolutely defend its sovereignty and security interest."

The US $95-million-worth deal includes support for the operation of the Patriot system, such as training, fielding and maintenance of the system, and related equipment, according to a Pentagon notification to Congress.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
×