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The Forum > Article Comments > Creeping maritime expansionism: exploiting regional weakness? > Comments

Creeping maritime expansionism: exploiting regional weakness? : Comments

By Liang Nah, published 3/3/2014

The Chinese navy took a tour of disputed territories whilst Vietnam and Malaysia are awaiting upgrades to their navies.

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...What is much more disturbing to me is not who rules the waves, but who plunders the depths! Annually, one million sharks are plundered for their fins alone to satisfy a Chinese procreation fetish of shark fin soup! Chinese are fast becoming a global scourge on too many levels!
Posted by diver dan, Monday, 3 March 2014 9:19:37 AM
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Nations need to look to their own defence. Australia has decided to order eight P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, with an option for four more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-8_Poseidon

These aircraft will complement the Boeing 737 Wedgetail airborne warning aircraft already delivery, along with long range tankers and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet attack aircraft. This will provide a credible deterrence. But I suggest the four extra P-8s should be ordered with the Airborne Ground Surveillance option: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-8_Poseidon#Variants

The Australian Government is considering building twelve larger, more advanced submarines to replace the six Collins-class boats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins-class_submarine_replacement_project

The chances of twelve submarines being funded are close to zero, as are the chances of them being built on time, on budget and working reliably within a reasonable time frame. Instead Australia should order six submarines of a proven design, from an overseas shipyard with a reliable track record.
Posted by tomw, Monday, 3 March 2014 10:57:21 AM
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This is the reason why we should not simply cool our heels, but crack on exploring and exploiting our own maritime resources, particularly the possible massive hydrocarbon bonanza, that many industry experts, tell us, we have to our immediate north, a euphemism for the Great Barrier Reef.
Or we could continue to lock it up, spend many scarce billions on importing fuel, and keep this massive reserve for an energy hungry China.
I mean, China has already demonstrated, it doesn't give a fig for international conventions, or borders! [Moreover, a basically bankrupt USA, would not simply rush to help us, if none of our population was actually threatened?] See just how quickly they or the Europeans, (NATO) rush to put boots on the ground, in the Ukraine, where people and property is threatened!?
Besides, exploiting these same reserves for our own use now, will allow us, in the first instance, to reduce our own transport derived carbon pollution, and costs, by around 75%!
Ditto for almost any country we export to! Smog laden China and India, could become our biggest trillion dollar per markets!? Is there anything we currently need as a social service, we couldn't fund with a trillion dollars plus, given we the people had the smarts to explore and exploit these retained reserves ourselves!?
It would cost less than $10.00 a barrel to exploit these products, [laying under just 60 metres of seawater] one of which is a virtually ready to use diesel, which only requires a little in situ chill filtering to make a superior cleaner burning product, than any of the sulfur laden products we are currently importing!
And, the addition of around 4.7% methanol, produces an even cleaner burning product!
And Europe, has conquered many of these smog problems, with the addition of particulate filters.
I see no reason why, even with a fuel excise imposed, we couldn't market these products to local consumers, for a handsome profit, for around $40-50.00 a barrel!
It's hard to hurt the already dead half of the reef, by drilling a few holes in it!
Rhrosty
Posted by Rhrosty, Monday, 3 March 2014 11:56:01 AM
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It is interesting that there was almost no comment on the Chinese Navy
circumnavigating Indonesia. They passed between Christmas Island and Java.
Whether they entered Indonesia waters was not made clear. However it
may have been an exercise to see who would sit up and take notice.
Perhaps they could make claim to Christmas Island ! Might solve one problem.
Posted by Bazz, Monday, 3 March 2014 5:20:54 PM
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Too right Bazz. I reckon we should offer the damn place to them.

I'm sure China could make a profit out of the place. For us, even without the boat people, it is nothing but a welfare sink of quite large proportion.
Posted by Hasbeen, Monday, 3 March 2014 9:34:00 PM
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