notice NSW Labour mp praising China's effort in their handling of Coronavirus. Reminds me of the deviants who voted to kill unborn babies up to birth in Liberal and Greens. What a sick mob.

82 tones of medical equipment from Australia
Steeleredux,
Does that mean Australia's ability to produce such equipment is in good enough shape to sustain or perhaps even improve productivity ? If so, are efforts being made right now ?
If not, why not ?

Chinese imperialist mercantilism brings with it the danger of conflict with other major powers.

China protects its industry from foreign competition, subsidises exports and manipulates its currency. 'Dumping’ or selling at below cost is also practised to push competitors, including, Australian producers out of business in their own country. China steals commercial and industrial intelligence.

'Private’ business is controlled by the Chinese Communist party. To say that China is becoming a capitalist country is laughable. The CCP, is the same as it always was: totalitarian and dangerous to its own people and the rest of the world.

This was written by economist Peter Smith a long time before the China virus:

"Trade deals should not be struck solely on narrow economic grounds. Industrial diversity is important for a nation’s cultural life and can be vital for national security. Specialisation can leave you vulnerable when trade is interrupted. Think of war. Trade can be disruptive and put
people on the scrap heap. The human cost of displacing people from their jobs should not be summarily dismissed as a cost of doing international business. It must be taken into account".

Think of war? Think of pandemics.

For those people rooted to the idea that we must sell coal (which looks like being on the way out anyway), and those who obsess over the minority of our exports, here's something from a bloke who knew a thing or two about life, Benjamin Franklin:

"People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both".

Dear individual,

Here you go mate.

"TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and Australia have reached an agreement in which the two countries will exchange raw materials desperately needed to battle the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), announced the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on Monday (March 30).

On its Facebook page on Monday, the MOEA announced that Taiwan and Australia have agreed to cooperate on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia has pledged to provide Taiwan with 1 million liters of alcohol which can be used to produce 4.2 million 300 milliliter bottles containing 75 percent alcohol to be used as a disinfectant.

In exchange, Taiwan will offer Australia 3 metric tons of non-woven fabric to produce surgical masks once Taiwan has reached sufficient domestic production capacity. That same day, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that Australia has been purchasing the raw materials to make masks for many years, while about 90 percent of Taiwan's alcohol supply comes from Australia, reported Liberty Times."

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3907578