BRITAIN’S peace movement condemned the government today over the “serious escalation” of the new cold war against China marked by the new “Aukus” pact.

Under the agreement, Britain, Australia and the United States will co-operate on the development of a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian navy and on a range of other military projects in the Far East.

The move follows the US’s enrollment of India, Japan and Australia into a “quad” to contain China, whose economic and technological development is perceived as a threat to Washington’s global supremacy.