China has denounced a historic security pact between the US, UK and Australia, describing the alliance as “extremely irresponsible” and “narrow minded”.
The pact, announced on Wednesday, will see the US and UK provide Australia with the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time.
It is being widely viewed as an effort to counter China’s influence in the contested South China Sea.
The region has been a flashpoint for years and tensions there remain high.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the newly announced alliance risked “severely damaging regional peace… and intensifying the arms race”.
He criticised what he called “the obsolete cold war… mentality” and warned the three countries were “hurting their own interests”.
