In recent months, the sparring superpowers have sought to dial back these tensions, including through talks in Beijing this week between Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, and Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister.

Their meeting resulted in an agreement to hold a final phone call between Joe Biden, the US president, and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, “in the coming weeks” for a further attempt to stabilise relations.

Mr Sullivan also met with Mr Xi on Thursday, with the Chinese leader stressing his country’s goal to develop “stable and healthy” ties with the US and to coexist as two great powers.

“It is hoped that the United States will meet China halfway, look at China and its development in a positive and rational manner, see each other’s development as an opportunity rather than a challenge,” Mr Xi was quoted as saying.

However, suspicion of each other’s intentions run deep between the two nations, and the latest video of an unguarded chat between Mr Albanese and Kurt Campbell, on the fringes of a major forum of Pacific leaders in Tonga, is likely to feed into a long-held narrative in Chinese state media of Australia acting as “deputy sheriff” to Washington in the region.

“We had a cracker today getting the Pacific Policing Initiative through. It’s so important. It will make such a difference,” Mr Albanese was heard telling Mr Campbell in a video published by a New Zealand journalist.

The US official replied: “It’s great… I talked to Kevin about it and we were going to do something and he asked us not to, so we did not. We’ve given you the lane, so take the lane.”

The Australian leader responded with a light-hearted quip: “You can go halvies on the cost if you like. It will only cost you a bit.”

Mr Campbell’s comments, in particular, have raised questions about whether Canberra and Washington have been coordinating their actions on security in the Pacific or whether a similar US plan had been derailed.