Mr. Opinion,

You might be interested to read a news.com article today about what a Chinese university tutor and Australian citizen says about Chinese students. Not directly connected, but interesting.

Mr 0,

When will you get it into your head that different Chinese people have different opinions? Some Chinese Australians, particularly recent immigrants, would support the Chinese government's position, while others (particularly those who came in the 1990s and from Taiwan) would oppose it. And those who you regard as Chinese just because they have Chinese ancestry are unlikely to have a different attitude to the general population. Despite all those degrees you claim to have, you seem to have great difficulty comprehending the fact that opinion does not depend on ethnicity!

I've made it clear whose side I'm on: the side of international law. The boundaries should be set by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague; we should support its findings whatever they may be. If they find against China, we should encourage China and the winners to come to a commercial arrangement. There is a strong precedent for this: the USA acquired Louisiana and Alaska by buying them (from France and Russia respectively).

Do you disagree with me? If so, why?

I've also made it clear that if war does break out, we should apply trade sanctions but not participate in the combat.

Again, do you disagree with my position? If so, why?

Dear ttbn, I saw that thanks.

Dear Foxy,

I don't have any confidence in any of our politicians, Labor or Coalition, to resolve the dilemma that Australia has now been placed in due to the stupidity and greed of former politicians and business leaders.

As I said elsewhere Chinese voters are now in a position to cast the deciding vote at a federal election. Look what happened to Howard when he got the Asian voters in his own election offside. Turnbull can't risk losing the Chinese vote for the Coalition by coming out in support of the US.

Well, I guess the pro-China camp like Suseonline and Aidan will now be happy.

Dear Aidan,

As Sheldon of TV's sitcom The Big Bang Theory would tell you: 'Aidan ..... you're just an engineer.'

In other words, you don't know anything. So stick to being an engineer and you and the rest of us will be happy.

IMO it comes down to when you war with China, now, or in 50 years thru' our grandchildren. History says we'll wait for the bigger fight.

China's aspirations will not be satiated by giving into it now. Once an advanced military beach-head is fully established in the SCS, Australia is at its mercy.

Dear Luciferase,

Isn't that what China is attempting to do by annexing the SCS? Problem with Australia is that we have already let the enemy inside the gates. China has set us up in two important ways: It has locked the Australian economy into a dependency on the Chinese economy and it has planted millions of Chinese into Australia. Or as the Chinese will tell you: 'Aren't the Australians dumb?'