Paul,

If I were going to attack something or someone, I wouldn't make it known beforehand either.

Australia is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. It cannot rely on America to protect it under the ANZUS agreement and it cannot prevent China from colonising it through mass migration of Chinese nationals and total control over its natural resources and major industries.

The British took possession of Australia from the aborigines by force. Now the Chinese are taking possession of Australia from Britain's descendants by free trade trickery. What Australia's politicians need to be working out is how to manage a country having a Chinese majority population and where the major decisions are made in Beijing. We just have to accept that we are now part of China.

Paul,

I'm puzzled by your ravings. First you start with a standard marxist rant about the US, then you give a list of war crimes, none of which apply to the sinking of the Belgrano, then accuse MT of war crimes in the sinking of a Military ship at a point of conflict. I would suggest less whisky in your morning coffee.

The fact that China went to war with the west in Korea, and is now trying to enforce its tenuous territorial claims over more legitimate claimants by militarizing an area of extreme importance to the world is a threat.

Finally, as these Chinese military installations are built on piles in the sand which would liquify with a well placed bunker buster. So the island runways could be turned into scrap with one well placed bomb or missile.

If indeed we cannot trust America to save us from China, then we should strengthen our strategic alliance with India.

Dear Yuyutsu,

Life under Chinese domination might not be all that bad.

Anyway I don't think we have a choice. By 2050 the majority population of Australia will be Chinese and the economy will be run from Beijing. And there will be enough Chinese voters in Australia to elect Chinese politicians who are pro-Beijing to Canberra.

Everyone just has to come to grips with the fact that Anglo-Australia is dead and the age of Sino-Australia is here to stay.

Crackpot,

You are "not some sort of religious crank", you claim. What sort of crank are you then, to have such an eye-popping fear of life. How does "there" (sic) longevity make the Chinese worthy of special consideration? The have been very nasty - even to their own - for a couple of millenia.

What's the "simple fact" you threw into the ring? The "meek" Chinese are going to inherit the earth? I don't think God or whoever got that one into the Bible had the Chinese in mind when they made that very dubious statement. The 'meek' don't seem to do very well at all. The Chinese, on the other hand ....

And the U.S. is reponsible for the havoc created in Europe because it bombed Iraq? Based on an "outright lie" no less! What was the lie? Not the old chestnut about no WMD's? The WMD's that people more reliable than you observed crossing the Iraqi border before the Americans arrived? And here's silly old me thinking that it was the sworn duty of Islam to rule the world. That lying Koran, eh! It was the Yanks all along! That's going to cause a lot of embarrassment for the mullahs.