AUKUS won't spur a nuclear arms race in the region, says U.S. Under Secretary of State

• The trilateral defense and security pact between the Australia, U.K., and U.S. — commonly referred to as AUKUS — is not going to trigger a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region, said the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
• The security framework seeks to strengthen stability and not "create a problem," she told a media briefing on Tuesday. "There's some incorrect information out there about the purpose of AUKUS and what we're trying to do."
• China has accused Western powers in the AUKUS security pact of provoking division and risking nuclear proliferation in the South Pacific.

The trilateral defense and security pact between the Australia, U.K., and U.S. — commonly referred to as AUKUS — is not going to trigger a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region, said the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

The security framework seeks to strengthen stability and not "create a problem," Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins said at a media briefing on Tuesday. "There's some incorrect information out there about the purpose of AUKUS and what we're trying to do."

The AUKUS alliance was forged in 2021 to address shared regional concerns about China's rising military power and influence. It involved Australia acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines, among other items of defense cooperation.

China responded at that time, warning of the danger of an arms race as well as nuclear proliferation.

"It's very important that countries understand that this is not to create a race — to create any kind of arms' races. Nuclear submarines are allowed under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and Australia is not going to become a nuclear weapons state," she