Submarine pact does not herald new Cold War with China, Britain says

LONDON - Britain's defence minister said on Thursday that a new nuclear submarine pact between the United States, Britain and Australia did not herald a new Cold War between the West and China.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the pact did not involve nuclear weapons and was not about China.

Asked by Times Radio if he thought the pact was part of a new Cold War with China, Wallace said: "No I don't, and I think to call it a Cold War is out of date."

"This is not about sending a message to China."