Kevin Rudd warns of ‘accidental war’ between US and China

The former prime minister says the relationship between the US and China is in need of strategic repair.

Australia’s next ambassador to the United States, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, has warned if the fraught US-China relationship worsens, there is a risk of “war by accident”.

“The overall state of the US-China relationship is in bad strategic repair,” Mr Rudd told ABC TV’s 7.30 program on Thursday.

He said Australia, as a friend and ally of the US and a strategic partner with China, must encourage an improvement.

“(We need) to encourage both Beijing and Washington to move in the direction of a new strategic framework of managed strategic competition, to build new strategic guardrail noose their relationship so that we do not end up with a crisis, escalation and war by accident.

Former Prime Minister, Dr Kevin Rudd, says Australia has a role to play in the US-China relationship. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“That, I think, is a responsibility we share with all our US allies around the world, and partners of China.”

Mr Rudd said China’s recent military buildup and strong words from President Xi Jinping meant that Australia needed to step up its defence capability.

“It’s important for us also to analyse how the strategic environment in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, and for that matter globally, is changing because of China’s own military rise,” he said.

“The response to (China’s increased military expenditure) from the United States, and by various US allies including Australia, has been somewhat late in coming, to be frank.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently called out the US by name over its aggression to China. (Photo by Li Tao/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Mr Rudd described Xi’s recently reported comment that “Western countries, led by the US, are implementing all-round containment, encirclement and suppression against us” as blunt.

“In fact, I’ve been struggling for the last 24 hours to find a time when a Chinese paramount leader has attacked the United States by name.”

“The strategic environment within East Asia and the West Pacific is changing because of that fact,” Mr Rudd said.

Mr Rudd said China did not welcome Australia’s new strategic agreements with the US, such as AUKUS and the Quad.

“But the fact that China reacts of itself does not mean that the actions we’ve taken to sustain our own national security are invalid,” he said.

“As I said, China now owns the world’s largest Navy. It is bigger than that of the United States.”

Mr Turnbull said it was "possible" for a war to break out in our region within three years.

Meanwhile, another former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said Australia needed to be ready for any changes in our region, especially if China tries to force the Taiwan issue.

“It is possible that there could be a war in our region within three years or even less,” he told The Project on 10.

“I’m not an alarmist, I’m a realist, but you know, we have to recognise these are dangerous times in which we live.”

He warned that Australia “was not ready enough”, taking a swipe at his successor Scott Morrison’s decision to scrap the French subs deal for the AUKUS agreement.

“That, I think, set us back dramatically. We will get an announcement about the AUKUS submarines,”

“But that is going to take us decades before we get new capabilities.”