KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is concerned over the newly established trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) (AUKUS).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he expressed Malaysia's stance on the Asia-Pacific defence partnership when he received a telephone call from his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison yesterday.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a statement today said Morrison had informed and provided clear explanation to Malaysia on the formation of AUKUS, which amongst will see Australia get a nuclear submarine fleet.
"The prime minister (Ismail Sabri) has expressed the nation's concern on the AUKUS partnership, which may become a catalyst to the nuclear arms race in the Asia-Pacific region.
"At the same time, it (the pact) will also provoke other powers to act aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea," read the statement.
The prime minister added that, as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Malaysia upholds the principles espoused among member countries to preserve the region as the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN).
Ismail Sabri also stressed the importance of respecting Malaysia's existing interest and approach on the operation of nuclear submarines within the country's waters which were outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 and the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ).
In addition, the PMO said both leaders agreed for a renewed joint commitment to ensure international peace and security, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.
"The prime minister (Ismail Sabri) urged all quarters to avoid any form of provocation or arms race in the region, apart from stressing the importance of respect and comply with the existing stance and approach (of the respective nations).
"Malaysia and Australia agreed to strengthen its cooperation and consultation in various aspects, including defence under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," said the statement.
The AFP reported the US president Joe Biden recently announced its new partnership deal with Australia and the UK to strengthen military capabilities.
The report quoted Biden and other leaders (Morisson and his British counterpart Boris Johnson) as saying that the submarines will not be nuclear-armed but only powered with nuclear reactors.
They will allow Australia's military to travel and strike targets, far from its coast.
China immediately denounced the AUKUS when its foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian described it as a Western allies partnership which "seriously undermines regional peace and stability as well as intensifying arms race".
The pact also did not go down well with France when Australia scraped a huge submarines deal in favour of nuclear-powered subs from the US in the same week AUKUS was announced.
The fallout intensified when France on Friday recalled its ambassadors from the US and Australia.