Penny Wong issues emphatic plea to US and China to ‘prevent catastrophe’ of war

Australia's foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has urged China to take up a US offer to put in place "guardrails" to prevent growing tensions from spiralling into war.

Wong will use a speech in Washington DC on Thursday to hit back at claims that Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under Aukus is driving a regional arms race.

Wong will also urge the leaders of China and the US to learn from diplomacy spurred by the Cuban missile crisis, saying she hopes "nationalistic domestic posturing won't sink their efforts to build safeguards".

While noting that some analysts have compared the current situation to the lead-up to the first or second world wars, Wong will make an emphatic plea for considered choices: "We are not hostages to history. We decide what we do with the present."

The US and Australia agreed this week to deepen their defence cooperation, paving the way for increased rotation of US forces and the pre-positioning of fuel and munitions in the country.

But while outlining numerous criticisms of China for "destabilising actions in the South China Sea" and "dangerous encounters at sea and in the air", the statement issued by the allies also warned against allowing this to escalate into conflict.

Wong will call for the growing strategic competition between the major powers to be managed responsibly.