Mr. President,

Today marks the 25th time that the IAEA is deliberating the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation issue at China's proposal. Five years ago, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced their nuclear submarine cooperation out of geopolitical motivations. For the first time in history, a nuclear-weapon state has engaged in non-peaceful nuclear cooperation with a non-nuclear-weapon military ally, marking the unprecedented transfer of tons of weapon-grade nuclear material for military purposes. It falls outside the territory of the NPT, will cross the nuclear proliferation threshold, and poses a severe challenge with far-reaching implications for the nuclear non-proliferation regime as well as international and regional strategic security and stability.

The complex political, legal, and technical issues involved in AUKUS have been seriously discussed during the First Committee of the UN General Assembly and the NPT review process, with many countries raising concerns and questions. Over the past five years, China has taken a clear and firm stance to uphold international and regional peace, security, and stability, as well as the integrity of the NPT and IAEA safeguards. Driven by these commitments, China has actively encouraged IAEA Member States to engage in rational, responsible intergovernmental discussions on transfer of the nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT.

Since 2023, Permanent Mission of China in Vienna has hosted annual workshops on AUKUS and non-proliferation issues. This year, the Workshop was attended by interested Member States, representatives of the IAEA Secretariat, as well as experts and scholars from think tanks and research institutions. Participants held substantive and in-depth discussions on various aspects of nuclear submarines, particularly the elements of a safeguards arrangement framework covering the full lifecycle of nuclear submarines, as well as the challenges posed by nuclear submarine cooperation among military allies to global geopolitics, the NPT regime, and nuclear security. The Chair's summary of the workshop has been circulated as INFCIRC/1372 on the IAEA website, and we believe that this document will contribute to intergovernmental discussions on the AUKUS issue within the IAEA framework.

Mr. President,

AUKUS cooperation is essentially bloc confrontation based on Cold War mentality, placing geopolitical interest above the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and running counter to the purposes and objectives of the NPT. AUKUS involves the transfer of tonnes of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium with an enrichment level exceeding 90 percent, involves complex issues such as how to carry out verification of nuclear submarines to prevent nuclear proliferation risks, and involves safeguards obligations that Australia as a non-nuclear-weapon state and the United States and the United Kingdom as nuclear-weapon states have never undertaken. The IAEA has never applied safeguards or verification to nuclear submarines, let alone nuclear submarine cooperation between nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states. Applying Article 14 of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement to AUKUS will inevitably breach the boundaries of the existing practice and modalities of the IAEA safeguards regime, constitute an important precedent, and have far-reaching implications for other Member States.

Regrettably, in the absence of a basic consensus on the above mentioned important questions, nuclear submarine cooperation among military allies has already shown a proliferation trend. This year, yet another country announced the launch of a nuclear-powered submarine cooperation program, and is going to start consultations with the Secretariat on an Article 14 arrangement. Failing to close this loophole will only make it worse, damaging the IAEA's credibility and weakening the foundation of the NPT regime.

Looking back at the history of the IAEA, the improvement and development of the comprehensive safeguards system have always been carried out on the basis of broad participation, joint efforts, and consensus among Member States. How the IAEA views and addresses AUKUS goes far beyond the programme itself. It directly impacts the integrity, effectiveness, and future applicability of the global safeguards regime, bearing on the shared interests of all Member States.

Mr. President,

We believe that the IAEA must handle the AUKUS issue in the most prudent, responsible and sound manner with a view to safeguarding the integrity, effectiveness, authority and universality of the NPT and the safeguards system. Unilateralism and double standards must be rejected. Group politics and bloc confrontation must be avoided. China advocates that Member States, in the spirit of seeking common ground while reserving differences, taking a long-term view, and upholding unity while avoiding division, continue to conduct open, inclusive, democratic, transparent, meaningful and sustainable intergovernmental discussions on all aspects of the AUKUS issue on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

In actively advancing the intergovernmental discussion process on the AUKUS issue, China has consistently upheld the important concepts of the Global Governance Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, advocating sovereign equality, compliance with international rule of law, and practicing multilateralism. China upholds the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, attaches importance to the legitimate security concerns of all countries, and persists in resolving differences between countries through dialogue and consultation rather than conflict and confrontation. Adhering to the above principles serves the common interests of Member States and meets the fundamental need to safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.

China respects and supports the Secretariat in carrying out its work in accordance with the mandate under the IAEA Statute. At the same time, we hope that the Secretariat will fully recognize the complexity and sensitivity of the AUKUS issue, fully respect and seriously listen to the different views of Member States, and objectively reflect the intergovernmental discussions, particularly the divergences among parties. We call on the Secretariat to take seriously and respond positively to the various questions and concerns raised by Member States, and to assist the intergovernmental discussions in a scientific and professional manner.

China stands ready to work with all parties to jointly advance intergovernmental discussions on all aspects of the AUKUS issue and contribute to maintaining the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.

【In response to the resistance from Australia, the UK and the US toward the intergovernmental discussion process advocated by China, Ambassador Li Song exercised his right of reply. He stated that:】

First, the AUKUS partners claim that the AUKUS issue does not need to be discussed at the IAEA General Conference and that there is no need to include an AUKUS item on the agenda. Judging from today's discussion, I believe Member States can not agree with such a claim. The AUKUS issue bears on the principle of non-proliferation and on the development and improvement of the IAEA safeguards system. There are clearly important disagreements among Member States on the AUKUS issue, and different countries, based on different positions and concerns, have continued to express different views. On an issue that is so highly controversial within the NPT and IAEA framework, Member States must handle it properly through equal, rational, mutually respectful and responsible discussion.

Second, in the statements made by a few countries earlier, they accused China of politicizing the AUKUS issue and the intergovernmental discussion. China cannot accept this. Over the past five years, with the support of Member States, the Chinese delegation has consistently worked to promote rational and professional intergovernmental discussions. We have pointed out many times that on an issue like AUKUS, not allowing, or refusing to listen to, different views from other Member States, and resisting equal and rational intergovernmental discussion, is the real politicization. I believe that under the current international situation, and against the backdrop of the severe challenges facing the NPT and IAEA regime, such unilateralism and politicization are precisely what the Member States should jointly resist.

    Third, I would like to thank all colleagues and delegations who have expressed their views on this issue today. After five years of effort, Member States are able to express different views on the AUKUS issue, rational and responsible intergovernmental discussions are becoming increasingly in-depth, and views are becoming increasingly diverse. We believe that this is the correct attitude for properly handling the AUKUS issue within the IAEA and even the NPT framework. We hope and urge the AUKUS partners and some other countries to participate in serious, rational, responsible and professional discussion. We also hope that the Secretariat can provide the necessary assistance for such discussion, and in particular seriously listen to and attach great importance to the different views among Member States, and, in this spirit, jointly contribute to safeguarding the NPT regime and to the future development and universality of the IAEA safeguards system.