Australia is arming itself with nuclear-powered submarines sooner than thought, joining only six other countries in the world that own and operate them.
But Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says they can keep their subs to themselves because they're not welcome in New Zealand's waters.
The US, the UK, and Australia have united under the AUKUS agreement on the edge of the Pacific in San Diego, California.
Hipkins said Aotearoa is "not part of the arrangement [and we] won't be part of that arrangement".
And the submarines won't be welcomed to New Zealand's nuclear-free waters.
"Our policy on that won't change," Hipkins told Newshub.
The US will share its secret nuclear submarine technology, and US President Joe Biden had a clear message for China.
"I want to be clear; I want to be clear to everyone from the outset, right off the bat," Biden told reporters.
"These subs are nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed. Nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed."
But at their core, they're a threat to counter the rise of the superpower in the Pacific.
Biden said the deal would put "ourselves in the strongest position to navigate challenges of today and tomorrow, together, together".
The first US-made submarines will arrive in Australia by 2027. A fleet of eight will follow, to be built, owned and operated out of Adelaide and Western Australia in the coming decades. It will cost Australia up to $360 billion.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deal "represents the biggest single investment in Australia's defence capability in all of our history".
In the days leading up to the announcement, China urged the three countries to abandon what it calls a 'Cold War mentality', adding that it hurts peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.
