Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Australian politicians should not kid themselves that lecturing China over North Korea "does anyone any good".
Mr Carr told SBS News Australia instead needed to "keep its head down and to talk quietly to the United States and to China about what the options are".
"China is concerned about North Korea, they don’t have to be told what a menace this mediaeval dictatorship is to the world and to China as its neighbour in particular," he said.
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"Less lecturing of China and more engaging with China about what China recognises is a common problem."
Mr Carr said Chinese nationalist media had recently been siding more with America and attacking North Korea, but he played down the influence China had over the rogue nation.
"We’d all like to think that there’s a magic button that China’s got to use, but it’s very difficult for the Chinese," he said.
"The Chinese have got less influence over North Korea, even though it’s nominally an ally than they would have with any of the other 20 countries they call neighbours.
"China understands this is a rogue regime run by a murderous family according to mediaeval principles. They can’t view this regime with anything other but great suspicion and great irritation."
Watch: Bob Carr on China's influence over North Korea
There are some calls for China to engineer an economic collapse in North Korea to bring the regime to its knees, but Mr Carr poured cold water on this idea.
"China could work hard at trying to bring about an economic collapse in North Korea, but that could take years," he said.
"This is a very tough regime that has forced huge sacrifices out of its people in the past and is armed with nuclear weapons."
Mr Carr said he found the Trump administration's approach to China "encouraging" and said it was good for the world.
"They’ve got to share more with the Chinese and they achieve nothing by lecturing China on what China should do in respect to North Korea," he said.
