Think outside of the square!
The xenophobia frightening.
An Australian government, liberal or labor, who did not use the fundamentals of diplomacy to avert a mini-arms race in the region, would be failing the Australian public.
So what if we send Downer to Jakarta or KL to explain our shift in defence policy regarding "cruise missiles". Swallow your xenophobic pride and realise this a soft kill in itself- probably preventing the purchase of long range French or Russian weapons by our tiger friends.
At the moment, any regional adventures have defence planners countering a short range fighter/bomber, surface and sub-surface threat. Long range missiles change the paradigm. The threat uncounterable with the ADF in it's present form.
Obiwan
Settle down. Firstly, there are only two navies in the world capable of invading Australia or laying siege to Darwin. The United States Navy and the Japanese navy of 1941.
Secondly, the Chinese do not have aircraft carriers; or for that matter, any capability ( barring ICBM's ) of projecting their influence beyond the Formosa straight or a Himalayan scrap with India.
The arms race between China-Taiwan and China-India is an example of an unwinnable arms race, the likes of which we should be avoiding through diplomacy!