On Lateline last night our Fefence Minister Stephen Smith was visibly shaken when he faced accusations of having a secret agenda to back the USA if they so desire to attack China.

David Uren wrote a book claiming evidence of this.Both Paul Keating and Malcolm Fraser have criticised Labor over even considering this policy.

What this means is that we become the place of first strike if there is a war.It also makes China seek more secure resources and energy from other countries.

http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/series/lateline

AJ

...If the USA consider China a current or future threat, then for the sake of the argument, consider that position "inside the square" thinking. But as most Australians recognise, Joining American thinkers inside the US square, has resulted in what may be described as a paradigmatic shift in Australian thinking; in this case, future defense needs.

...In other words, Australia is (as usual), sensitive to US requirements, and will lock in Australian needs, according to existing defense treaties, with bias towards a US direction in US defense planning.

"What this means is that we become the place of first strike if there is a war."

So what else is new?

In typical post nuclear war apocalyptic scenarios, Australia sees itself as surviving uncathed but in fact, since we host the US miltary spy bases that allowed them to pinpoint the source of any USSR nuclear missile launches we were in fact the prime target for any anti-US strike.

The targets were not only the bases themselves but all the major cities so any data telemetry could not be transmitted back to the US.

Cannon-fodder to some or sacrificial lamb to others - makes little difference in the end.

The likelihood of any sort of foreign invasion or attack is ridiculously remote in any case. In a war between China and the US they will be likely fighting over who gets the spoils, not in our defence.

would not worry to much as Stephen Smith is very unlikely along with his colleagues to be in power after the next election. The minister for disarmament actually showed some promise in the early days until he used politics to trash a man's career who turned out to be totally innocent while defending Thomson. This Governments word is not credible.

Steven Smith did look shaken.
As would most, I think Rudd would have been a little more harsh in reminding the Chinese we are a free nation.
Arjay I can never be quite sure when addressing you, do you think there is a conspiracy/plan in case of problems?
America is our only Allie who could be any help in a war.
Smith in the end did very well.
My question to China is why the closer defense ties with Russia, why increasing bases in parts of the Pacific they have never before had a part in ?

How right you are, runner...it's not as if the Libs under Howard sycophantic toadies of the U.S. under Bush. : )

What really rattled Smith were the words "Major power adversary."This was obiviously taken from hidden sections of the white paper which he was privy to.

China is not are enemy.The USA has invaded or attacked 20 countries since 1941 and still continues this aggression via "pre-emptive wars"

China has taken over Tibet only.China's power is economic.They do not have to use aggression to get what they want.The oligarchs in the West are far more dangerous to the planet than the masses of China or India.

Arjay:

Yours is the "ostrich" view of China, common among the naive!

Diver Dan.Who has the track record for aggression?

Currently we have 800,000 Chinese living here.Many do not like the present system of oppression in China,but is Obama now in the USA any better?

China will change as living standards improve.The USA under the Obama admin has become very oppressive.

They do not have to use aggression
Arjay,
I very much doubt China would have the compassion to to help via interfering in the first place. China wouldn't be so silly as to deplete it's resources like the West has been doing for 60 years. China will probably wait until the West has gone broke from trying to help those who can't be helped & then just rather casually walk all over us. Our people are too stupid to stop paving the way for China.

'How right you are, runner...it's not as if the Libs under Howard sycophantic toadies of the U.S. under Bush. : )'

Yes Poirot so it must have been sickening to you to see your beloved PM's knees buckle in the presence of Obama. Chief hypocrites.

Arjay you will remember I have often made fun of your conspiracy theory's.
And even more often said in my view such as your theory's mask real concerns, maybe true conspiracy's.
I find no reason to say America is any more evil than China/Russia/ Muslim fundamentalists/Christian Fundy's.
But think, in just a few hours the deck of cards we know as world finances may fall.
Not because someone wants it to, but because it is inevitable.
I quite truly, think that, and humanity's inability to get things fixed,may lead to a form of one world, over night.
We should under stand, that ruler could be other than western.
And that 5 generations in to that system little evidence of todays freedoms would survive.
I support the American partnership.

@Poirot,
<<sycophantic toadies of the U.S. under Bush>>

Yep, much has changed since the ALP took over--we're now soooo much less *discriminating*.

We’re STILL toadies to the US:
http://tinyurl.com/7wgvbpk

But now, we're also sycophantic toadies of the UN:
“Our laws are to be measured against the standards set by the UN…The Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 came into effect on Wednesday and requires all new bills and disallowable legislative instruments to be accompanied by a ‘statement of compatibility with human rights’ which will assess them against the seven main UN human rights treaties to which Australia is a party. http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/piersakerman/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/nicola_roxon_promises_new_laws_will_be_scrutinised_to_meet_the_un_standard/

And the patsy of people smugglers:
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/05/31/3515475.htm

SPQR.I agree that's why I also did a discussion on Agenda 21.I note Nickola Roxon wants to get the OK from the UN before any new laws are passed here and people still deny there is a agenda for a World Govt.

I don't expect the Coalition to be better.John Howard was almost one with George Bush.We could be a moderating influence on NATO imperialism and stop the wars expanding.

Smith was a bit shellshocked.

Probably thought Lateline were 'doing an Assange' on him by even talking about a book someone else had written.

There doesn't have to be a 'secret chapter' though, does there?

We all know that the ALP are so far up the backside of the USA their toes can barely been seen.

Were Abbott in charge, there would be no sight of his toes at all.

We are done for, with Gillard in love with the Irish president O'Bama, Beazley representing our 'national interest', to say nothing of his own as he drools over just being in the USA, and Carr, another US Civil War 'expert' as our foreign minister.

But, it could be worse, with Julie Bishop representing Austalia!

Good to see that China does regard US troops stationed in Australia in the same light that most Australians do, that US troops are being stationed in Australia, and only the ALP are pretending otherwise.

Typical.

Religion will not allow a world govt. Arjay.
Kofe annon is pushing for more equality in poor countries, but every year the same problems come up, to feed the starving is to delay the inevitable. Infrastructure is the answer, not baked beans.

Kofe certainly seems to be very 'anon' because he is never heard anywhere he goes.

Religions already hanker for a world government, and think they have the right to impose it on all of us, look at the way they try to make our laws according to their Bible here in Australia, and the 'other half' of the problem behave in trying to enforce their Islamic theocracies on entire nations too.