‘An abomination’: Morrison signals sanctions against China if it helps arm Russia

Both major parties have stepped up their calls for China to put pressure on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

Scott Morrison has left the door open to introducing sanctions against China, Australia’s largest trading partner, if Chinese president Xi Jinping’s regime were to provide military equipment to Russia.

The prime minister said his government would move in lockstep with its allies and partners in response to what he called Beijing’s “chilling silence” on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said any move by China to arm Russia would be “an abomination”.