China has lashed out at Australia for blocking a $300million deal that would have seen a Beijing-backed firm with links to the Chinese military in control of a major construction company.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg shot down the offer made by state-owned China State Construction Engineering Corporation to acquire Australian-based company Probuild over national security concerns.
It's the latest escalation in a diplomatic spat between the two countries which have been at loggerheads since Australia called for an independent inquiry into the role of Chinese officials back in April, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which began in Wuhan in November 2019.