No apology over 'Chinese invasion of Australia'

Clive Palmer accused the Chinese of shooting their own people and having no system of justice. Photo / AP

Palmer United Party (PUP) senator Jacqui Lambie won't apologise for warning of a Chinese invasion of Australia, despite her leader doing so for his bizarre anti-China rant.

Mining magnate and party leader Clive Palmer has apologised to the "Chinese people everywhere" for last week describing China's government as "mongrels" and "bastards" who shoot their own people.

Senator Lambie said the PUP leader had little choice because "people are still quite irate about his comments".

However, she would not offer a similar apology for her China invasion warning, in which she said Australia needed to double the size of it military to "stop our grandchildren from becoming slaves to an aggressive, anti-democratic totalitarian foreign power".

The outspoken Tasmanian senator declared today: "I'm not backing down".

"I don't see why I would offer an apology when I'm actually speaking about the Chinese communist regime and not the Chinese people," she told ABC Radio.

"I'm very grateful to the Chinese people and having them as trading partners and I certainly know my Tasmania is."

PUP was formerly known as the United Australia Party.

- AAP