Australia to warn China it won’t be bulled by ‘provocative‘ actions as it builds military and nuclear arsenal

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong met with her Chinese counterpart on Tuesday night on the sidelines of the Asean summit. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP View image in fullscreen Australian foreign minister Penny Wong met with her Chinese counterpart on Tuesday night on the sidelines of the Asean summit. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Australia to warn China it won’t be bulled by ‘provocative‘ actions as it builds military and nuclear arsenal Foreign minister Penny Wong will deliver speech criticising China’s recent launch of a nuclear-capable submarine-launched missile Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Penny Wong will warn China that Australia and other neighbouring nations will not be bullied by its “provocative” actions, after its involvement in another “destabilising and dangerous” incident this week. The foreign affairs minister – who will deliver the address on Thursday in the Philippines, where the 59th Asean foreign minister’s meeting is being held – will also caution world leaders against placing a toll on the strait of Hormuz after both Iran and the US threatened to do amid the protracted conflict. The speech comes as the crisis in the Middle East escalates once again, driving up fuel prices by 40 cents in three weeks amid dwindling global oil reserves. Off the back of China’s launch of a nuclear-capable submarine-launched missile in the South China Sea earlier in July, Wong will say the test “came with too little information and notification”. “It comes in the context of China’s rapid military buildup, including of its nuclear arsenal, without the transparency or reassurance the region expects,” the foreign minister will say. “Which is why Australia has described the test as provocative and destabilising.” Wong met with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of Asean on Tuesday night AEST in their 12th meeting. Wong had earlier criticised China’s conduct as “destabilising and dangerous” after the Philippine military accused the China Coast Guard of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton on Monday on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. RBA now twice as likely to hike interest rates as US-Iran war drives fuel prices higher Read more “We will continue to register our concerns about China’s vessels engaging in destabilising and dangerous conduct in the South China Sea, including towards Philippine, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Indonesian vessels,” Wong will say on Thursday. China’s long-range missile test in the South Pacific happed just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, inciting widespread condemnation . The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, expressed concern at the missile’s long-range capabilities and the possibility to cause “considerable, considerable damage were it to be weaponised”. In Manila, Wong will also warn the region will suffer if the strait of Hormuz is “weaponised” and the US and Iran fail to maintain a ceasefire. Heavy strikes have resumed between the warri