TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S., U.K., and Australia have “gone further down the wrong and dangerous” path, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday (March 14) in response to a nuclear sub deal announced by AUKUS on Monday (March 13).

“The latest joint statement issued by the U.S., the U.K., and Australia shows that the three countries, for their own geopolitical interests, have totally disregarded the concerns of the international community,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said during a Tuesday press conference.

“It will only exacerbate arms race, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and hurt regional peace and stability,” Wang further claimed. Meanwhile, China at the beginning of March announced it would increase its military spending by 7.2% for 2023 to around US$224.79 billion (NT$6.88 trillion).

On Monday at a naval base in San Diego, California, U.S. President Joe Biden announced America’s intention to sell five nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, following a meeting with British and Australian prime ministers, according to Politico. Under the AUKUS deal which spans decades, the trio will build a combined fleet of submarines using technology, labor, and funding from all three countries, according to CNN.

U.S. President Biden rejected China’s claims, saying the submarines would be “nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed,” according to Guardian. Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, said China’s accusations were “not grounded in fact,” Guardian noted.

The deal is part of the AUKUS alliance, which looks to bolster American, British, and Australian presence in the Indo-Pacific with a particular aim at countering China’s rising military strength in the region, per Politico.

On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “welcomes the continued advancement of the AUKUS partnership,” according to Guardian. It added that Taiwan is “at the forefront of the fight against authoritarian expansion.”