Hi Foxy

Re your Wednesday, 6 January 2021 12:22:45 PM comment addressed to me.

1. Yes I agree with Prof. Laurenceson that "The fundamental driver of China's hostility in 2020 stems from its assessment that Australia's leaders have reneged on earlier commitments to never direct the country's security alliance with the US against China".

China would see Australia's blocking of Huawei as a vindictive security measure rather than an economic decision.

Also contradictively China is beginning to see that its own military
power in our (China's and Australia's) East Asia/Oceania region is reaching parity with the forces the US can afford to deploy in our region.

China recognises the US has worldwide military commitments (eg. NATO region and Middle East). So in the Long-Term the US cannot deploy more powerful forces than China can deploy in our region. This is especially in usable Conventional forces rather than Doomsday Nuclear forces

China's Economic dominance is secured by Military dominance.

And I'm illustrating in my "China's Covid Management Allows China to Gain on US" thread at http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=9358&page=0 China's better handling of Covid (than the US) is permitting China to catch up with the US in GDP more quickly than ever before.

2. Also http://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-05/china-enters-2021-a-stronger-more-influential-power/13006408 illustrates that "7 among 10 ASEAN countries are in favour of China" instead of the US.

3. Biden has much work to do to improve the US's alliance system in East Asia/Oceania to face China (Trump has done much alliance damage).

Pete

Dear Pete,

Thank You. I've got so much to learn about China.

Over two centuries ago, Napoleon commented that
China was "a sleeping giant, and when she wakes, she
will shake the world". It looks like its happening
today.

Hi Pete and Foxy,

Our efforts to "contain the tiger", rather than through peaceful cooperation, we've tried some kind of big stick approach, which is doomed to failure. I can only imagine the distain and contempt Chine must feel towards Australia with our sanctimonious lecturing on a number of issues. China sees Australia, and the west in general, as being owned nothing. In 70 years the Chinese without the slightest assistance from the West, in fact just the opposite, have managed to build for themselves a nation, not perfect by any means, that can provide for its 1.4 billion, mostly poor people.

Australia in its stupidity rushed blindly into aligning itself with the US post WWII, a huge mistake in my opinion. Just as the Soviet Union before it had nothing but distain for Australia as a US lackey, China sees us as nothing more than a big resources pit, ripe for the plucking, populated by American sycophants.

Its not too late for Australia through Scott Morrison to stand before the World, admit the errors of the past, and committing Australia to a new position of peaceful non-alignment neutrality, whilst symbolically tearing up the ANZAS Treaty, and possibly a bit of self flagellation by ScumO' before the world would by a good sign of our sincerity.

Dear Paul,

Without the help of the United States and the West
to defend Australia our nation would be in the
same dire straits as the Baltics were when the
Soviet Union was able to invade and occupy.
Scott Morrison has to tread carefully and try to be
given some slack in his dealings with both China and
the US. I don't envy his difficult position.

Foxy,

The China-Australia conflict has now gone too far for Soot Morrison to reset the relationship and now China can only be seen as an aggressor harbouring ill intent for Australia and it will do everything in it's power to undermine Australian sovereignty and independence in a world that China wants to turn into its empire.

Dear Mr O,

Predicting the future is risky at the best of times.
I'm no pundit but I prefer to wait and see.
I feel that with all the people who are advising our current
PM - will know how to react in our nation's best interests.
Anyway, I'm hopeful that things will pan out for us if we
tread carefully.

I have no doubt that we can find a solution that suits us,
provided we do not succumb to the siren calls of demagogues,
charlatans and ideologies.