This has echoes of the policy of Lebensraum or room to move advocated in Nazi Germany. Insecurity over resources could explain China's belligerence not only in the Himalayas but also Hong Kong, Taiwan, the South China Sea, Uighur camps, debt trap diplomacy and now Australian exports. Surely there will be a major incident this decade. It would be best if a group of nations could contain China's actions, among other things allowing adequate water flow into India's rivers.

The solution is, deionisation dialysis desalination and the world's cleanest, cheapest, safest energy,i.e., MSR thorium! Which together as a package makes affordable potable water available for anyone with a coastline or access to one! NGOs and foreign aid can make it happen! And end the economic bully boy blackmail by the biggest kid/juvenile on the block!
Alan B.

Taswegian & Alan B,

You are both wrong in your analysis and approach.

Are you aware that China is undertaking the world's biggest project ever in the enlargement of the Grand Canal between the R. Yangtze and the north of China.

That way it will be able to supply water to the north from the Himalayan water tower because the R Yellow has basically been destroyed and they have depleted almost all of the aquifers in the north.

China is also in the process of stealing India's, Vietnam's, Bengaladesh's, etc. (S & SE Asian countries) access to water from the major sub-continental rivers eg, Mekong, Brahmaputra, etc.

And Soot and Dazza's gal want to keep swamping Australia with cashed up Chinese.

What is wrong with these people. What does China have to do before they start realising they have been taken for a ride by China?

Dealing with Chinese is like dealing with your errant grandson in juvenile detention.
Nothing could be more officious on the one hand, and nothing could be more incorrigible on the other.

Dan

diver dan,

I think Soot and Dazza's gal are the epitome of evil, which I think is an underlying fact in deciphering Australia's reliance on China.

Am I the only one who has noticed that Soot and Dazza's gal have not been openly criticizing China's ongoing treatment of Australia over the past few months.

Like I said, I think they are the epitome of evil.

Just noticed in the news that Soot is now opening up Australia's farmlands to large-scale gas fracking.

Like I said: Epitome of Evil.

China runs their foreign policy on the assumption that western democracies and in general capitalist countries are so tied to the idea that the greatest thing that any person can do is buy the cheapest product and sell your products to the highest bidder. In other words the western democracies are so blinded by their imaginary version of capitalism that we will let China get away with anything as long as they keep providing markets for our wine and iron ore and we can keep buying manufactured goods that are cheaper than any other countries. How could China possibly be evil? They produce all this great stuff and charge low prices. That makes them wonderful. Throw a million Uighurs in concentration camps, deny rights to their citizens, invade Hong Kong, cover-up Covid 19, steal water from south asia. Who care? They buy our coal and make a few people rich.

And they are even so bold if we dare criticise them for any reason they threaten to stop buying some of our goods because they know governments will turn themselves upside down to please the industry groups that will quickly demand that Australia shut the hell up and allow their members to sell their products to these wonderful customers.

We value cheap goods far more than the rights of 3 billion people and Chairman Ji knows it and takes advantage of it.

Water wars- not new - somewhat predictable- China pretty much controls the Himalayas so it controls the water from the Himalayas. Give back Tibet. We need to reduce world population- this is just one example of the resource pressures that are created with large populations. India would be wise to reduce it's population if it doesn't want massive poverty due to China's water hegemony.

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

I'm not an expert on Lebensraum but my understanding is that in 1880 Prussia stretched to Lithuania. The German's as I understand seemed to think that the Slavic peoples over a period occupied areas once controlled by Germanic peoples. Some of this appears to be related to The Holy Roman Empire perhaps and the Germanic relationship. After WWI and WWII Germany lost a lot of territory I understand.

There has been a fair amount of conflict between Germany, Lithuania/ Poland, Russia (also Hungary is interesting) over the last 500 years- so they all have some claim to the territory.

Based on the Germany inheriting the role that was held by the Roman Empire upon it's fall in the 400's- they seem to have the longest claim to Roman Europe.

Many Hebrew peoples seems to have concentrated in the region at the intersection of Lithuania, Russia, and Germany after they were expelled from Spain from memory (so it is an interesting part of the world).

Obviously I'd need to do more research- and track how the borders have changed over 1600 years.

I notice that China has refused permission for one of the 82 bulk
carriers to leave to deliver their cargo to Japan.
What a nerve !
Which raises an interesting thought;
Has China understood that if these held up ships leave they are in
trouble because they must be running their stocks down and they have
probably found it difficult to replace such large quantities at short notice.
Other ship owners would be reluctant to accept a charter.
The government is probably looking at their stocks with the satellite.
As the stocks deplete they can modify their stance.
The government could bring it to a head by ordering the ships via
coal brokers to all leave at the same time. Problem maybe that the
cargo is FOB and has already been paid.
Still refusal to accept delivery may be grounds to cancel.

Bazz,

A smart person could have seen this coming a mile away.

In fact a smart person did see this this coming: Mr Opinion.

I TOLD YOU SO

And things are going to get worse UNLESS we put into place Mr Opinion's 10 point plan to placate the Chinese:

1. Permit Huawei to operate unrestricted in Australia.
2. Rescind proposed federal legislation aimed at preventing Victoria and WA from signing up to China's Belt & Road Initiative.
3. Allow the Chinese to have unrestricted purchase rights to Australian industries and natural resources.
4. Ban Australian media from saying anything derogatory about China's strategic policies.
5. Withdraw Australian military from exercises in the South China Sea.
6. Rescind any alliances Australia has with the US and Japan.
7. Cease commenting on Chinese ambitions for Hong Kong and Taiwan becoming unified with the PRC.
8. Permit free migration for tens of millions of Chinese to Australia and allow them access to Australian business and property markets at a 50% discount.
9. Elevate former(?) affiliate of the CCP Gladys Liu to the position of Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Australia.
10. Make Soot and the Boys crawl naked on their hands and knees to Emperor Xi and kiss his feet and plead for his forgiveness.

Come on Bazz and all you others in the pro-China camp start sending Soot & Boyz the message to get down on their hands and knees and start kowtowing to Xi.