Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, has warned that China’s economic coercion could result in the cutoff of the country’s fuel supplies, leading to severe disruption of its food and transportation sectors. Marles stated that Australia’s exposure to economic coercion is even greater than the risk of invasion, adding that the threat of such coercion is “much more significant” going forward. He noted that Australia is heavily reliant on economic connections, with most of its liquid fuels coming from overseas, mostly from Singapore. Marles warned that Australia must re-posture itself in response to this threat. Moreover, Marles believes the ongoing military build-up in the region accompanied by a much greater economic connection to the world has left Australia even more vulnerable. The global rules-based order is also under threat or stress, which is evidenced by conflicts in the South China Sea and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Marles insisted that Australia needs to be prepared for these factors since so many of their defense needs are beyond their shores. This announcement comes after an Australian defense review that suggested the country needs to plug its workforce and capability gaps to discourage foes.