Defence Minister Peter Dutton has likened China's military build up to Nazi Germany in the 1930s just hours after he was accused of provoking the country for political gains.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian labelled Mr Dutton's "sensational and astonishing statements on China-related issues" as a cold war mentality.
"He wouldn't scruple to hijack Australia onto the chariot in confrontation with China," he said at a press conference in China.
Mr Dutton backed in the new trilateral AUKUS partnership with the US and UK, when asked in parliament on Tuesday about the changing strategic environment
"We are worried about the buildup of military power, the buildup of military might by others in the region," he said.
"We do know there has been a very significant change in the stance of China ... towards partners and the East China Sea and South China Sea."
The latest comments come against a backdrop of strengthened rhetoric from Australia's defence minister against China, specifically in relation to Taiwan.
Mr Dutton said it was "inconceivable" Australia would not send troops to support a US military intervention in Taiwan.
His comments led to Labor's foreign affairs spokesperson Penny Wong accusing the Morrison government of politicising potential military action in Taiwan for electoral gain, saying it is "amping up the prospect of war".
"(It) is the most dangerous election tactic in Australian history ... by irresponsible politicians who are desperate to hang on to power at any cost," she told the National Security College in Canberra on Tuesday.
"Mr Dutton does Australians and the Taiwanese no favours by amplifying Beijing's fatalism."
Senator Wong said Australia needed to return to a "deliberate position of strategic ambiguity" with regards to Taiwan in the face of a more aggressive China and called for a return to a more traditionalist approach.
"The greatest risk to peace, stability and prosperity in our region is the risk of conflict in Taiwan," she said.
"The consequences of a kinetic conflict over Taiwan, with the potential for escalation, would be catastrophic for humanity."
Labor's foreign policy approach would be based on three pillars: Australia's trustworthiness on the international stage; strategic partnerships with other countries, specifically in southeast Asia and the Pacific region; and military capability.
The race for influence and power in the Indo-Pacific was grounded in Australia listening to the concerns raised by its Pacific neighbours, specifically on climate change, Senator Wong said.
"It's clear that a credible Pacific step up will only happen under ... a government that recognises the existential, national security and economic threat climate change presents to all, particularly our Pacific friends," she said.
The government continues to navigate frosty relationships in southeast Asia, with some allies angry about the way it handled an announcement of the new AUKUS partnership and procuring nuclear-powered submarines.
Labor intends to appoint a special envoy to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, as it looks to shore up Australian influence in the region.
It will also appoint an ambassador for arms control and counter-proliferation.
