Daily US Times: The United Kingdom and United States are facing growing international backlash over a new security deal signed with Australia.
The pact – known as Aukus – will see the US and UK give Australia the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.
But France, which said it had been “stabbed in the back”, while Beijing accused the three powers of having a “Cold War mentality”.
And the security deal – seen as an effort to counter China – has raised fears that it could provoke China into a war.
The alliance was announced by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday.
While the trio didn’t mention China, the security pact is being widely viewed as an effort to counter Beijing’s influence in the contested South China Sea.
The British Prime Minister later told MPs that Aukus was “not intended to be adversarial” to China.
But Mr Johnson was questioned by Theresa May, former UK PM, about whether the deal could lead to the UK being dragged into war with China.
She asked PM Johnson about the “implications” of the partnership in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
“The United Kingdom remains determined to defend international law and that is the strong advice we would give to our friends across the world, and the strong advice that we would give to the government in Beijing,” Mr Johnson replied.
Democratic Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state, but China has increased pressure on the island which it views as a breakaway province.
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