"As far as I can ascertain none of our neighbours thanked us for our increased assistance. It seems to be taken for granted."

Well, there is an obvious response to that. Cut aid, and spend the savings on defence - and/or, do what China is doing. Australia is not a charity.

Since Australia is not a sentient being, it is nonsensical to speak of it having any "interest".

Trump was singular in his support for the indo pacific against Chinese BRI.

Unfortunately. Jolly Joe leads Psycho Sam down the road of appeasement , happily dumping out his allies as need be, in support of American profits.
Watch the ME and the dumping out of Israel, the copy book of our lot!

The enemy becomes the victim for application of rainbow magic potions, while friend becomes the enemy. Sad but true.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8576310/

Dan.

Any "aid" we give should always be as repayable loans.

Our aid needs to be with Australian made infrastructure, namely power generating assets, i.e., SMR MSR thorium.

These units can be fitted inside shipping containers and shipped or choppered almost anywhere where electricity is needed.

And as the world's cheapest electricity that also is carbon free and not needing miles or vulnerable wires! Real on the ground economic aid and a gift that keeps on giving decades past the presentation!


Absolutely affordable for even the poorest of the poor electricity can do more for our neighbours than almost anything else we could do or donate.
Alan B.

Repayable loans, yes. It works for China, and we need to be fighting fire with fire where the CCP is concerned. Can't repay? OK, we'll take the asset, thank you.

"Is development aid still serving the Australian national interest?"
- No, and we all told you that ages ago.

But I've got a question for you.

If China is so bad, that we need to send Aussies to die in a war with them, when they are actually our largest trading partner...

China and US on collision course for war, former PM Kevin Rudd warns
http://www.9news.com.au/national/china-and-us-on-collision-course-for-war-former-pm-kevin-rudd-warning/2539578d-1c6f-4619-a79b-4306111909b7

Then why is Klaus Schwab praising them?

Klaus Schwab Proclaims China a 'Role Model' for Many Nations.
http://blog.independent.org/2022/12/01/klaus-schwab-china/

"China is a 'role model' for many countries, according to World Economic Forum (WEF) boss Klaus Schwab, in a recent interview with Chinese state media. “I think we should be very careful in imposing systems,” Schwab added, “but the Chinese model is certainly a very attractive model for quite a number of countries.” 

The Chinese model is a one-party totalitarian dictatorship, imposing a socialist command economy. By recommending such a model for “a number of countries,” the WEF founder, 84, removes himself from any serious economic or political debate. On the other hand, Schwab is hardly alone in his praise for the Communist People’s Republic of China."

Secondly why is Klaus Schwab at the G20 as first keynote speaker?
Why does he brag about 'penetrating the cabinets'?
http://youtu.be/SjxJ1wPnkk4

"What we have to confront is a deep systemic and structural restructuring of our world"
http://youtu.be/t78SKUWt2qM

(This video is a little conspiratorial, but they make some valid arguments)
Klaus Schwab and George Soros Declare China Must Lead New World Order
http://rumble.com/v1xghbw-klaus-schwab-and-george-soros-declare-china-must-lead-new-world-order.html

Tell me how any of this makes any sense.

China is the enemy, but these people 'penetrating our governments' and making all the rules WANT CHINA to rule the world?

Again, tell me how any of this stuff makes sense, and finally in the face of all the geopolitical craziness, what exactly are Australia's interests?

Footnote: These MSR thorium units can be mass produced in Australia and economies of scale reduce the construction costs below much more complex, large diesel engines. And make it possible to export our manufactured here units, to an energy starved world, until hell freezes over!

Think about it. Or failing that, just think. Even if the experience creates a strange new burning smell from previously unused cerebral cortexes.

Thinking within a box or a fixed circle of ideas, Elbow and co, limits the questions and by implication the answers or advice!
Alan B.

Klaus Scwab is praising China because he needs the CCP to help instigate his Great Totalitarian Reset.

Hey ttbn,
"Klaus Schwab is praising China because he needs the CCP to help instigate his Great Totalitarian Reset."

It seems that way, from what was said in the video from my previous comment,
(The rumble video link - 7 min video)
They're saying China are too nationalist to be ruled by others, but they might be convinced to go along with it if they're put them in charge of it.
This I assume is their 'deep systemic and structural restructuring of our world'
- New World Order

They're also saying that America is deliberately acting belligerent, (all the things I complain about I suppose) to trick all the other countries and people into aligning with BRICS and the SCO, but really this is the new political and financial order they want, with a global hegemon transition from the US to China.
If there's truth to this, it seems I'm the one who's fallen for their tricks and been played as the useful idiot.

I have a couple of Klaus Schwab's books, I really should read them I think.

Scwab is a dangerous old ratbag who, at 84 or whatever, should not be allowed to wreck the world for future generations. Anyone who sees Covid as a 'unique opportunity' is a raving lunatic. That other lunatic, King Charles, says the same thing.

The biggest problem is the lack of courage by normal people in powerful positions to deal with nutters like Scwab; they even let him into G20 to rave!

Then there’s the problem of the 'masses' who tolerate totalitarianism as long as they are getting something for nothing. That's the ones who are cheering on the Chinese people for demonstrating against against the CCP and new Covid lockdowns, but who accepted the same fascism in Australia like lambs.

Dictatorships are not imposed on people; they are invited by people.

A.C. Nobody is suggesting anything like going to war with China.

But some are saying we need to beef up self-defense giving China may take a leaf out of Putin's book and try and annex territory she claims to have as part of some old (Ming dynasty) empire. Which by the way, includes Mongolia.

And given we have defense treaties, with some of those, we may be drawn in as allies?

Better China (the CCP) looks at the beating Russia is taking and decide the additional territory ain't worth the price they would pay, every which way!
Alan B.

Hey Alan B.
"But some are saying we need to beef up self-defense giving China may take a leaf out of Putin's book and try and annex territory she claims to have as part of some old (Ming dynasty) empire. Which by the way, includes Mongolia."

Ming Dynasty was way back.
Did you know that Taiwan's real name is the 'Republic of China', and the current ruling party is called the KMT (Kuomintang) or the 'Chinese Nationalist Party?
They were a part of the Chinese Civil war which ended in 1949 under Mao, and retreated to Taiwan.
They recently came back into power after suffering a huge defeat in last months elections (after Nansy Pelosi's visit)
I guess the Taiwanese people saw what happened in Ukraine and don't want to end up in the same fate.
You can find a bit more info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Civil_War

Elections in Taiwan, ruling party suffers massive defeat
http://youtu.be/uGBw1RM0RLg

"And given we have defense treaties, with some of those, we may be drawn in as allies?"
- That's what I'm concerned might end up happening.

"Better China (the CCP) looks at the beating Russia is taking and decide the additional territory ain't worth the price they would pay, every which way!"

Don't believe everything you hear about the situation in Ukraine.
Putin hasn't even really gotten started yet, the coming months will be very bad for Ukraine, and there's a huge strike by Russia (bigger than anything so far) in preparation, coming any day.
Bakhmut may only have a week or 2 left before it falls.

I'd add a bit of info on the current situation there but I've just had visitors turn up sorry.

Simply invading a peaceful and non-threating neighbour cannot be justified or excused. It is taking a leaf out of Herr Hitler's book.

Had the free world assassinated Hitler before he started WW11, we could have saved millions of lives and billons of national treasure.

Blowing up power and water treatment plants, and deliberately targeting and killing civilians is a cowardly war crime.
Alan B.

What's in a name, Constantinople is now Turkey, and the blue mosque was once a Christian Basilica.

Should the Ottoman empire be regained by force of arms because it once existed.

Should Israel reoccupy all that once was biblical (God gave this land to me) Israel.

Should all white Australians return to their Ancestorial homelands and hand the country back to the original custodians.

Who cares what Tawain was once called, certainly not the inhabitants. And they looked at how the Chinese/CCP treated Hong Kong. And said, we don't want a bar of that C.R.A.P., thank you.

Better to be free and on your feet fighting for it than on your knees begging for it!
Alan B.

"Simply invading a peaceful and non-threating neighbour cannot be justified or excused."
They didn't just 'simply invade a peaceful and non threatening neighbour'.
Tensions have been rising for the last 14 years following the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Bucharest_summit

"Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to the summit, and he arrived on the second day (3 April) to participate in bilateral NATO–Russia talks. He opposed the US plans to deploy missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic, which was discussed at the summit. Russia also opposed Georgia and Ukraine's NATO membership bids."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine

"The Monroe Doctrine was a United States foreign policy position that opposed European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It held that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers was a potentially hostile act against the United States.[1] The doctrine was central to American foreign policy for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries."

If we want a world where tensions between nuclear-armed superpowers aren't created then there needs to be some kind of security architecture that can be agree between all parties.

The United States should not be allowed to place nukes and military and missiles on Russia's borders (Georgia and Ukraine) nor should the US be permitted to do the same in Taiwan against China's interests
- In exactly the same way the the US would not allow either Russia or China to place nukes, military or missiles in Cuba.

Even Macron came out and spoke about this yesterday:

Future European security architecture must include guarantees for Russia — Macron
http://tass.com/world/1545261

"We must think about the security architecture, in which we will live tomorrow. I am talking, in particular, about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s words that NATO is approaching Russia’s borders and deploys weapons that could threaten it," he said

Putin has tried for years to get the West to recognise his nations security interests but he was always ignored and dismissed
- and well, war is what happens when diplomacy fails.

Putin warns Nato over expansion (4 April 2008)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/apr/04/nato.russia

war is what happens when diplomacy fails.
Armchair Critic,
Diplomacy is the World's oldest con !