Mr opinion,

i think naive is a better word. i dont think it was dumb for the democracies to hope that China could become something better.

Clearly now, howeve, the CCP is another disgusting authoritarian regime.

Mr. Opinion,

If it wasn't for American, we would be Chinese already.

ttbn,

I think you mean Japanese. It was America that turned back the Japanese occupation forces at Coral Sea and Guadalcanal.

America was allied to the British Empire of which Australia was a part.

In think China is acting very similarly to the way Japan did 80 years ago. I think China will be a lot harder to deal with than Japan was.

Who do you think Andrew Forrest will be barracking for?

Mr O,

Australia has for so long lived in a region - and to
a certain extent - a whole world shaped by our
government's powerful allies. Britain and America.
We're not used to dealing with powerful states that
are not our allies. Now we find ourselves dealing with
a country like China.

In the past business and national security did not really
intersect. Now they do.

This creates a need for new habits, for dialogue among
stake holders with very different perspectives.

Australia must calmly hold its ground with China.
At the same time the government needs to listen to
advice on how to proceed with negotiations. And find
solutions that will be acceptable to both parties without
compromising out national security. Not an easy task
for any one - especially for people with little or no
experience with different regimes and cultures.
Not a job for the soft-hearted.

Foxy,

They will only be able to hold off China for so long.

The history of civilization is primarily a history of imperialism whether it be city-states, nation-states, ethnic-states.

I just hope America wins the war that will eventually come. Only the naïve will believe that China wants to share the world with peoples who are not Chinese. The history of Chinese shows it as a closed order that only ever took from others and never gave. It's what one would call a deep structure that drives the Chinese civilization.

But if you and others want to believe everything will be hunky-dory then I suggest you all join hands and start singing Kumbaya together as the new Romans let the lions into the arena.

Mr O,

All empires have crumbled eventually as history
has shown. China's turn will come. It's already
not what it once was. Modernisation is taking hold.
Whether it can do it politically we shall have to
wait and see. The old guard will eventually die out.