Australia could face devastating attacks on its cities and onshore infrastructure if an increasingly likely war with China broke out, a leading military analyst has claimed.

Jennifer Parker, a former naval officer and expert associate at the Australian National University, warned that conflict in the Indo-Pacific would likely reach Australian soil if it ever breaks out.

That is not what an Indo-Pacific conflict looks like. An Indo-Pacific conflict looks like fighting from Australia,’ she said. ‘That means that Australia is going to be targeted.’

Parker said there were many potential flashpoints for a conflict involving China and Australia, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea and an attempted reunification with Taiwan.

‘Xi Jinping has said a number of times, in number of different forms, that he sees Taiwan as an inalienable part of China,’ she said.

Read more: Navy officer’s chilling warning: How war with China could reach Australian shores and bring the nation to its knees