CANBERRA, Australia—A deepening spat over allegations of Chinese meddling in Australian politics has led to cases of wine piling up at Chinese ports and nationalists calling for tougher trade retaliations.

The episode shows how China is willing to use its economic leverage to force foreign governments to reverse positions it views as antagonistic. It has deployed similar tactics in its trade fight with President Donald Trump, stepping up customs inspections of U.S. cars and soybeans.

Treasury...