China and France criticise UK-US-Australia submarine pact

Aukus sounds like a creature from gothic sci fi. It is in fact the name of the submarine security pact signed by Australia, the UK and the US.

It amounts to a fundamental shift in global security and it is aimed primarily at China, which has slammed it as triggering a new Cold War.

But it has also upset Paris, which called it a stab in the back from allies because the deal involves scrapping a French contract to build 12 submarines for Australia.