Australia foreign minister stresses Aukus pact will not create nuclear weapons

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (AP)

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong has stressed that her country’s security pact with the UK and US will not create nuclear weapons, and said she hoped concerns that it may spark a regional arms race would dissipate over time.

Ms Wong told a news conference after meeting with her Malaysian counterpart, Saifuddin Abdullah: “We are not a nuclear power. There are nuclear powers in this region, but Australia is not one of them.”