Interesting! And an example of Chinese duplicity to obtain planned for outcomes and regional influence!

It's almost the same as, never smile at a crocodile, given the crocodile's cunning and mendacious disingenuous superficial sincerity, only has the one goal! To consume the gullible victim, create an atmosphere of trust, which has no real basis!

Or if you like the Gingerbread man fable. And the outcome when he needed to cross the river on a fox's nose!?

Protest loudly about respect. When no such respect is genuinely earned or deserved!

It is well this is a fictional fable, given such outcomes in real life could have hugely deleterious consequences for the gullible naive!

Like a frog being brought very slowly to the boil, only reacting like a trusting Hong Kong, when its goose is well and truly cooked.

Or for us, when we have slowly and softly allowed to shift much of what used to be ours, transferred into less than genuinely friendly hands.

A Darwin port anyone? Big regional manufacturing complex? A few million acres of arable land? A few dozen skyscrapers? Or universities over-reliant on the Yen! etc.

One recalls unsubstantiated rumours of a post war time when ASIO reportedly had more KGB operatives than Australian intelligence operatives, working for us?

Why us, what have we got that anybody else could possibly want?
Alan B.

Alan B,
As long as Footy & Cricket are broadcast all is well !

Moderator, we have a break-in.
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Hi Murray

Beware spoiler alerting!

Have just ordered the book.

Cheers

The end of the ABC Intro-BLURB for "Secrets, Spies and Trials" at http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/secrets,-spies-and-trials/11451004 is:

"I don't know what I'm going to be allowed to say in court. I've only just been allowed to speak to my lawyers after 18 months...but I'm circumscribed even in what I can tell my own lawyers. It's an amazing experience." Bernard Collaery

The intelligence community argues that prosecuting those that leak is an essential part of our national security.

"If you have everybody going out and saying, well, I don't agree with something, and disclosing privileged information, then you don't have an intelligence service." Former intelligence analyst

But former judges and senior lawyers who have worked closely with the intelligence agencies say they are deeply worried about the prosecution and the use of the national security laws created in the wake of 9/11.

"I don't think (these laws) were designed for this sort of case at all." Former judge

The program examines the tension between those who say national security is paramount and those who fear the steady encroachment of state security on the public's right to know.

"I think that for far too long, there has been this notion that, very few people will decide what's good for us to know, and what's good for us not to know. And I, for one, am not prepared to give them a blank check." Lawyer

Secrets, spies and trials, reported by Steve Cannane, goes to air on Monday 26th August at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 27th at 1.00pm and Wednesday 28th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and atabc.net.au/4corners."

More on ALREADY PUBLISHED IN AUSTRALIA records on the "Witness K" and Bernard Collaery Cases.

Australia's Government owned ABC TV Four Corners screened, on Monday August 26, 2019, an episode entitled "Secrets, Spies and Trials" republished by ABC at http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/secrets,-spies-and-trials/11451004 site.

At the left bottom of http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/secrets,-spies-and-trials/11451004 CLICK ON “+ TRANSCRIPT” and you will get a 5,996 WORD TRANSCRIPT.

FOR THE RECORD so a Four Corners Transcript does not simply fall off the ABC website, forgotten, below is

Transcript Part 1

of "Secrets, Spies and Trials" at http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/secrets,-spies-and-trials/11451004

“BERNARD COLLAERY: Well my dear friends this is a difficult day of course for myself and my family and all of my good friends.

STEVE CANNANE, REPORTER: In the nation's capital a momentous legal case is unfolding.

BERNARD COLLAERY: This trial will enable the Australian people to indicate the moral and political values that they expect from their political leaders.

STEVE CANNANE: The man at the centre of it a lawyer and former ACT Attorney-General - could soon be facing a jail sentence.

BRET WALKER: Usually, traditionally, it's simply not in the public interest to prosecute this kind of thing.

ANTHONY WHEALY: There is that I think overall perception that this sort of litigation is a payback, firstly. Secondly, that the secrecy provisions are perceived to be a coverup. 56'06

ANDREW WILKIE: I feel we're living in very dangerous times here in Australia, there is clearly a reduction in civil liberties. // I would characterise it as being in a pre-police state.

STEVE CANNANE: Bernard Collaery and a former spy known as 'Witness K' helped expose one of Australia's most controversial intelligence operations...in which Australian secret agents bugged the government of one of our closest allies.

JOSE RAMOS HORTA: It was very ugly. It's not worthy of Australia as a rich democratic country. It's not what we know ... knew about Australia. You know, fair-minded people. A fair-minded society.

SISTER SUSAN CONNELLY: I think it is about the most despicable piece of trickery that I know of, that Australia has committed."