Indonesia Opposes AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Technology Sharing... "Negative Impact on NPT System"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] Controversy has arisen as Indonesia, a neighboring country of Australia, has expressed opposition to the AUKUS (Australia-United Kingdom-United States security alliance) agreement, under which the United States and the United Kingdom will transfer nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia, citing concerns that it could negatively impact the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

According to Australia's ABC News on the 29th, the Indonesian government expressed concerns in a draft statement to be submitted to the upcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference opening on the 1st of next month in New York, USA, stating that "sharing nuclear technology for submarines could lead to the development of nuclear weapons." The report noted that Indonesia does not directly mention Australia in the statement but worries that if the NPT allows the transfer of technology for building nuclear-powered submarines, it "could be exploited as a shield to conceal the transfer of nuclear weapons programs."

As a signatory to the NPT under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Australia must first prove that its nuclear submarine project does not violate the NPT. Accordingly, the Australian government plans to argue at next month's conference that using nuclear material for submarine acquisition and construction is not prohibited by the NPT, and therefore, the transfer of nuclear-powered submarine technology cannot be considered a violation of the NPT.

However, the IAEA is concerned about the risk that Australia's nuclear-powered submarine project could be used for nuclear weapons production. Regarding this, Professor Benjamin Zaller of the Australian National University stated, "Australia is likely to become the first country to actually exploit a loophole in the NPT," adding, "Indonesia does not seem to suspect that Australia will use nuclear propulsion technology for nuclear weapons development, but it appears concerned that AUKUS could set a dangerous precedent."

In particular, China is expected to take a strong opposing stance against the AUKUS framework at next month's NPT review conference and is currently rallying opposition forces. There are concerns that Australia's position could become difficult if opposition from Indonesia, Australia's neighboring country, is added. Professor Zaller predicted that this issue could add strain to the relationship between Australia and Indonesia and that based on Indonesia's statement, "Australia will face very difficult questions" at next month's conference.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.