Beijing urges caution as Korea gains US support for nuclear sub capabilities

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing issued a pointed warning Thursday over potential U.S.–Korea cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines, saying the initiative raises serious concerns for regional security and the global nuclear nonproliferation regime. Speaking at a news conference in Seoul on Thursday, Dai said China was “closely following” the discussions reaffirmed at an early-November summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, where the two leaders agreed to expand coordination on advanced naval capabilities, including avenues for cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines. The approval would propel Korea toward becoming a blue-water navy and place it among the few nations pursuing nuclear-powered submarines. Only the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France, India and Australia have taken that step. Dai said Beijing and the international community are “closely watching” the discussions, emphasizing that nuclear-powered submarine cooperation is “not a simple commercial or technical matter” but a move with far-reaching strategic impliWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times