Peter Dutton has come to the defence of Richard Marles and stressed the government needs to push nuclear submarines off the production line quickly, pointing to the threat of China and after the Chinese Ambassador's National Press Club speech.
Xiao Qian - who became Beijing's top diplomat in Canberra this year - had defended China's actions when it responded with live military drills in Taiwan following the historic visit from United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week.
Stream more Australian news with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 Mr Dutton said he was not"shocked" by the remarks from the ambassador as the messaging was similar to what was delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Opposition Leader then stressed the importance of having a"deterrence in place", in the form of nuclear submarines, to ward off a potential future attack.
While Australia's national security would be secure under the AUKUS alliance with the US and United Kingdom for the next five to six decades, he warned the nation needed nuclear-powered submarines to plug the capability gap. Mr Dutton also welcomed the response from Mr Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who have all called for a de-escalation of tensions in the Taiwan region but believes the messaging can be stronger.
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