Taking a page out of Trump's playbook – and coming at a tumultuous time for the country, with PM Turnbull apparently on his way out and the local government in disarray  – Australia banned Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies from supplying equipment for a 5G mobile network, citing risks of foreign interference and hacking which Beijing angrily dismissed as an "excuse" to tilt the playing field against a Chinese firm.

The decision aligns Australia with the United States, which previously restricted Huawei and compatriot ZTE Corp from its own market for similar "security" reasons.

The surprising move – which has already antagonized Australia's biggest trading partner – follows advice from security agencies, and signals a hardening of Australia's stance toward its biggest export market as relations have soured over Canberra's allegations of Chinese meddling in Australian politics.