China has condemned a new security deal between the U.S. Australia and Britain saying it shows a cold war mentality.

Under the defense pact, Australia will acquire sensitive U.S. military technology to build nuclear powered submarines for the first time.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the deal will reinforce the bonds between the three countries.

[Clip: Johnson]
"We will have a new opportunity to reinforce Britain's place at the leading edge of science and technology. And perhaps most significant, the U.K., Australia and the U.S. will be joined even more closely together, reflecting the measure of trust between us."

The Chinese embassy in the US responded by saying countries should not build exclusionary blocks targeting or harming the interest of third parties.

Victor Gao, a former Chinese diplomat and president of the Center for China and Globalization, says for China, the pact feels like a step backwards.

[Clip: Gao]
"The world needs more cooperation among major countries for a lot of issues, and this announcement seems to be in the wrong direction of inciting greater confrontation, preparing for conflicts and showdown, and pushing the world in to a deeper abyss. So in this sense, China is firmly opposed to this kind of so-called closer military cooperation."