‘Abandon the Cold War mentality’: China delivers sharp rebuke of Australia’s defence strategy

China’s Foreign Ministry has delivered a sharp rebuke of the Australian government’s increased defence spend. China has called out Australia directly, saying that the federal government needs to drop its “Cold War mentality”. “The main security risks in the region currently stem from certain external powers outside the region,” China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said. “We hope that Australia will correctly understand China’s development and strategic intentions.” This comes after Defence Minister Richard Marles unveiled the National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Program on Wednesday in a bid to modernise the Australian Defence Force. Over the next 10 years, defence spending will rise by $50.3 billion and amount to 2.4 per cent of the GDP by 2034. When announcing the program, Mr Marles warned of China’s growing military build-up.