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The latest agreement, signed last week in Washington and tabled in Australia’s parliament on Monday, includes a clause stipulating that Australia will assume responsibility for nuclear risks posed by its partners resulting from material shipped to the country.
The report said nuclear material for future submarine propulsion would be shipped from the United States or Britain in the form of “complete welded power units.”
But Australia will be responsible for the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste generated by the nuclear power units transferred under the agreement.
“Submarines are a vital component of Australia’s naval capability and provide a strategic advantage in monitoring and protecting our sea lanes,” the transfer agreement states.
During a visit to Australia in April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that AUKUS posed a “serious nuclear proliferation risk” and claimed it violated a South Pacific treaty banning nuclear weapons in the region.
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