UK invites south-east Asian nations to G7 summit amid Aukus tensions
by Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor from World news | The Guardian on (#5S6BZ)
The alliance between Britain, the US and Australia has divided the region and angered China
The UK has invited south-east Asian nations to attend a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Liverpool next month, in a move that risks highlighting concerns that the new alliance between Britain, the US and Australia will fuel a regional nuclear arms race.
States from the Association of South-East Asian Nations are divided on the new Aukus partnership but some, notably Indonesia and Malaysia, have sharply criticised it, and many in the 10-member bloc are reluctant to take sides in the unfolding superpower rivalry between the US and China.
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