China spokesperson warns Australia of "high price" for interfering in internal affairs

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson said on Thursday that Australia would have to "pay a high price if it insists on going down the wrong path of interfering with China's internal affairs."

Responding to a press question on the AUKUS pact between the United States, Britain and Australia, China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian noted that some Australian politicians, driven by their selfish interests, had recently been hyping up China-related issues, and repeatedly made false remarks regarding Sino-Australian relations and Taiwan-related issues.

The AUKUS deal, which would enable Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines with technology provided by the United States and Britain, impairs the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, undermines regional peace and stability, and has been widely rejected by the international community, Wu told the press conference.

China deplores and firmly opposes Australia's deliberate attempt to hype up the so-called "China military threat" theory, Wu said, adding that false remarks made by the Australian side on the Taiwan question are extremely "dangerous."

"We hereby warn the Australian side that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and that Taiwan affairs are China's internal affairs and allow no external interference," he said.