Chris,

Australia cannot negotiate with China simply because of the difference in power.

As Churchill (Gary Oldman) said to Chamberlain in the film 'The Darkest Hour' re Chamberlain wanting to keep on negotiating with Hitler for peace: "How do you talk to a tiger when you have your head in its mouth!"

I found this news item today:

http://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6166744687001

Completely opposite to what Foxy put forward. Foxy's proposition that we have this great yearning to be at one with China is absolute crap!

But we can always try, so let's send some of our Neville Chamberlain types like Gillard and Bishop off the Beijing to sweet talk Xi and the boys and see how far that gets us.

Misopinionated,

Foxy, yearning to be at one with China ? Where is the slightest evidence of that ? Who, in their right mind, would want that ?

What don't you understand about her perfectly proper comment:

"Should the CCP be classed as a terrorist organisation?

"In my books - yes of course."

You really are either a moron or a troll. Quite likely, both.

Joe

Dear Joe,

There are many concerns that are growing about China.
And for Australia it is a tough balancing act. The
government needs to be alert to the Chinese
communist party's influence in Australian universities.
It needs to look into whether activities conducted by
Confucius Institutes at Australian universities fall foul
of Australia's foreign interference laws.

Then there's the protests in Hong Kong against China's
controversial extradition laws that have split onto
Australian university campuses leading to scuffles between
pro- Hong Kong and pro-China activists. And much, much more.

Our government needs to be alert to the Chinese communist
party's potential for domestic influence and interference,
while trying to maintain a relationship critical to our
economic and strategic interests.

I found an interesting article that says we should direct our
efforts at improving our collective understanding and
knowledge of the ruling CCP, its structures, its leaders, and
its military wing - the People's Liberation Army.

We're told that such expertise is "thin on the ground" across
Australian universities and think tanks.

We're reminded that during the cold war - Western governments
recognized a strategic requirement to better understand the
Soviet Union. They encouraged Universities to develop
specialist language skills and expertise on the communist
world. A question of keeping your enemy close and knowing
how to deal with them and how they work.

Considering our location, our alliances with the United States
and our reliance on China for trade - this suggestion makes
sense. That more the more knowledge we have the better equipt
we shall be to deal with our enemy. And this makes the
knowledge more crucial - than it was with the Soviet Union.

There's more at the following link:

http://www.theconversation.com/australia-has-few-home-grown-experts-on-the-chinese-communist-party-thats-a-problem-121174

Foxy, there is no need to study the CCP.

It is already being studied and reported extensively.

what do you think some clown is going to save the situation, some supposed elite guru?

I used to submit to a University mag ten years ago having studied the issue, but the univesity said it was not ready for that yet.

i love it when the supposed superior hybrow stuff comes out, as usual ten years after the event.

But feel free to read the bs, as many more jump on the anti-China bandwagon with their supposed superior intellect.

Dear Chris,

Why don't you read the link I gave.

You might get a better understanding of what the conversation
is all about. And what's actually being said.

Chris,

Marx's Thesis Eleven goes something like:

"The role of intellectuals hitherto has been to describe the world; our role is to change it."

And he was right. Describing the world is the easy part, any half-wit can do that if they are paid enough. What to do about it all, is another matter entirely.

Indigenous affairs is just like that too. I don't think a decent book on the subject has come out in twenty years.

Joe