Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has ruled out the United States deploying mid-range missiles in Australia, confirming no formal request has been made.

Key points: The US wants to position missiles in the Asia-Pacific region to counter Chinese expansion

The US wants to position missiles in the Asia-Pacific region to counter Chinese expansion Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said she discussed the issue with her US counterpart at a meeting in Sydney

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said she discussed the issue with her US counterpart at a meeting in Sydney Defence Secretary Mark Esper did not make a request, and did not expect one to be forthcoming, she said

Senator Reynolds said the issue was canvassed during high-level talks with her US counterpart, Defence Secretary Mark Esper, in Sydney yesterday.

"I can confirm that he made no request, and that he wasn't anticipating any request," she told RN Breakfast.

When pushed to clarify, the Minister recounted her conversation with Mr Esper.

"I asked him directly, 'was there any expectation of a request', and he said 'no'," she said.

On his way to Australia for the annual AUSMIN (Australia-US Ministerial) talks, Mr Esper flagged American intentions to deploy land-based conventionally armed missiles in locations throughout the region.

It follows Chinese military expansion in the region and the breakdown of a Cold War-era treaty with Russia, which controlled the proliferation of such missiles.

"We now are free to develop that range of weapons, 500 kilometres to 5,500 kilometres, that had not been available to us from a ground-based deterrent posture," he said.

China's military expansion includes stocks of Dong-Feng 26s, an intermediate-range ballistic missile that is capable of travelling up to 5,500km.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 24 seconds 1 m 24 s Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne talks up the close relationship with the United States.

When asked about the potential for American hardware on Australian soil yesterday, Foreign Minister Marise Payne appeared to leave open the possibility.

"The presence of the US and its military forces in this region has been a force for stability for decades, and Australia has consistently welcomed that force and presence," she said.

Even without the details, signalling an intention to deploy missiles in the region raises the possibility of an arms race between the US and China, putting Australia in a deeply difficult position between its most important security ally and largest trading partner.

The Trump administration has been increasingly belligerent towards Beijing, and Mr Esper used the AUSMIN talks to ratchet up the rhetoric, accusing China of engaging in a "disturbing pattern of aggressive behaviour, destabilising behaviour" in the region.

Mr Esper, a former US Army veteran with an expertise in China, assumed the top job at the Pentagon last month.

China has responded angrily to the "groundless attacks and slanders", issuing a statement through its embassy in Australia.

"During their visit to Australia ... senior US officials carried out groundless attacks and slanders on China's role in the region, exposing the hegemonic mentality of certain US forces," a spokesperson said.

"Their plot will not succeed."