Analysts are warning that Australia’s escalating diplomatic tensions with China could be far from their climax.

Former CNN China correspondent Stan Grant explained to Scott Emerson the significance of China’s adoption of what they call “Wolf Warrior diplomacy”, referring to a series of 21st century nationalistic films.

“It says that China will not bow down, it says that China will assert itself, that China will be more aggressive.”

Australia is the “canary in the coal mine” for the rest of the word, he warned, but no matter our diplomatic approach, we could be “knocking on a closed door”.

If the situation worsens, he said, eventually war may not be an impossibility.

“Clearly we’ve entered a much more dangerous and volatile period, and it doesn’t appear at the moment, as if there is a circuit breaker to that.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

Image: Getty