Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton has deemed comments by both the Chinese regime’s media mouthpiece The Global Times and Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian as “propaganda,” after they claimed the new AUKUS security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom would undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. “Frankly, I think they make the case for us,” Dutton told Sky News on Sept. 17 from the United States. “Their comments are counterproductive and immature, and frankly embarrassing.” Under the new AUKUS agreement, the United States will share top-secret nuclear propulsion technology with Australia and the UK for a fleet of at least eight submarines, expected to be in the water by 2040. The new security pact comes amid increased tension in the Indo-Pacific region, as like-minded liberal democracies move to counter Beijing’s increased aggression and expansionist policies. It also follows a year of Beijing targeting Australia with trade restrictions, deemed …