From the Australian:
China reproaches Australia over strengthened US defence ties
CHINA has strongly reproached Canberra over strengthened US defence ties, warning Australia may be “caught in the crossfire” if the United States uses new Australian-based military forces to threaten its interests
A strongly-worded editorial in the state-owned People’s Daily said the new Australian-US defence pact posed a security threat to Australia.
“Australia surely cannot play China for a fool. It is impossible for China to remain detached, no matter what Australia does to undermine its security,” it said.
“If Australia uses its military bases to help the US harm Chinese interests, then Australia itself will be caught in the crossfire.”
The editorial admonished Australia for relying on China for its economic interests while turning to the United States for political and security purposes.
“Gillard may be ignoring something – their economic co-operation with China does not pose any threat to the US, whereas the Australia-US military alliance serves to counter China,” it said.
More brilliant strategy from our government.
Ill-considered.
Counterproductive.
Dangerous.
Unnecessary.
UPDATE: My sycophant/brown-noser post yesterday becomes all the more apropos. See me scowl.
Abbott to out-do Labor, build new joint US base on Australian soil
TONY Abbott has sought to trump Julia Gillard’s commitments to the US, offering to establish a new joint facility on Australian soil.Welcoming President Barack Obama to parliament today, Opposition leader Tony Abbott lauded the United States saying “no country on the earth has done more for the world”.
He offered his support for the posting of US troops in Darwin, but said a Coalition government would go even further.
“The Coalition welcomes the presence of up to 2500 US marines in Darwin and would be happy to see the establishment of another joint facility so that these arrangements could become more permanent,” Mr Abbott said.
It got worse:
Mr Abbott said the US was “the most benign, the least self-interested superpower” the world had seen, and the first and greatest nation founded on the dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Bucket please.
For me.
And some toilet paper.
For our leaders’ proboscides.
Barnaby Is Right 
“Australia surely cannot play China for a fool”. Maybe not but the US routinely does – http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-16/china-s-holdings-of-longer-term-treasuries-increase-most-since-march-2010.html
Wow look at how well it went for Hawaii after they allowed the US to put a naval base there. The next thing that Hawaii knew they were annexed by the USA. What’s next? Australia being annexed as well.
Or perhaps, a “hot” war for control of The Great South Quarry (“our” vast and diverse natural resources).
Oil is not the only commodity that nations go to war over.
I doubt it Frances, most American’s don’t know where Australia is, they mix it up with Austria. LOL. And the Hawaii state flag has a union jack on it. Don’t know why? Just remember the Japanese bombed Darwin because the American bases were there. Like Pearl Harbour was.
Personally I would rather have a ally of the yanks, they have the military power we lack. But the Chinese won’t thanks us nor will SE Asia.
Interesting check out Tory Aardvark’s blog, (UK) they reported that the wind turbines in Hawaii are being shut down, and solar subsidies are being cut. Who is the main manufacturer now of wind turbines and solar panels. China. More to this alliance than meets the eye.
Sorry folks, your humble blogger disagrees with the many debating points flying about in Australia right now, as to why we allegedly should have US bases / increased military presence.
My 2c worth, is that the Chinese are a hell of a lot wiser than most Westerners give them credit for. My understanding is that they think and plan in 100 year blocks of time … our “thinkers” struggle to get past tonight’s news soundbite.
More to the point, I am of the opinion that their ancient wisdom gives rise to a cultural tendency to conquer by means other than brute force where possible. Just read the classic “Art Of War” (Sun Tzu) as an example of this way of thinking.
My cautious conclusion – always open to revision in light of better evidence – is that the Chinese are not a military threat at all … unless provoked. And that, sadly, is exactly the path that the brown-nosing imbeciles from both “sides” of our political spectrum are moving down. Unnecessary (thus, stupid) antagonism.
Your humble blogger identifies with the Swiss default mindset (ie) neutrality.
Good points Bushbunny. Very much agree your closing sentence.
Well any sane person can see why China is not happy. “Australia admonished by China for relying on China for its economic interests while turning to the United States for political and security purposes”. It’s the truth. For one thing, China could easily turn to Brazil for coal and leave Australia stranded. They have looked at Brazil and think that that country’s coal is as good as Australia’s. Plus with the carbon tax and the mining tax, it would seem that coal prices would have to rise and China is no fool, would import the cheapest. Gillard doesn’t seem to realise that “Australia cannot play China for a fool” It has well and truly feathered its nest with treasury bonds amounting to trillions” from around the world. It seems Australia is the fool
Quite correct, Betty.
Betty, I agree whole heartedly, but what do you expect from this government. They are not faint hearted when it comes to duplicity are they?
IIs anyone else starting to feel like William Tell’s son??
Tomorrows Serf, Just don’t allow Julia put an apple on your head. And watch out for the bow and arrows.
Why don’t we just give Christmas Island to the USA? The Indonesians won’t care since the US is the most benign super-power ever.
Tony would be given the Presidential medal of honor by Obama, his wet dream come true.
If you haven’t seen it there is a funny picture on Andrew Bolt’s blog of Gillard ‘going the grope’ on Obama’s arse (or at least wishing she could). I think we know what her wet dream is!
That photo is really funny thanks for the laugh. Here is the link.
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/
LOL thanks, cracked me up.
He wants our Uranium too and a special bit of dirt and Oz will charge him for it through the nose. It all boils down to $$$’s. Beggars can’t be choosy.
Did you know Christmas Island was used by the RAF for nuclear testing during the 50s. I know I knew an officer who served there. Let them have a base there too.
LOL love the thinly veiled sarcasm in your first paragraph JMD.
Wow bushbunny I had no idea. I knew there was testing at Bikini Island and Maralinga in Australia. They exposed our Aussies soldiers to the testing. And the Govt. gave Maralinga to the Aborigines.
http://www.janeresture.com/christmas_bombs/
http://www.foe.org.au/anti-nuclear/issues/oz/britbombs/british-nuclear-weapons-tests-in-australia
excerpt only
“In March 2000 the then Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Senator Nick Minchin, declared Maralinga safe after $108 million had been spent on the clean-up. However, the clean-up generated a great deal of controversy, much of it generated by criticisms expressed by scientists who worked on the project, namely:
* Mr. Alan Parkinson. In 1989, Mr. Parkinson, a nuclear engineer, developed some 30 options for rehabilitation of the Maralinga atomic bomb test site. In August 1994, he was appointed the Government’s Representative to oversee the whole of the clean-up project and was also a member of the government’s advisory committee (MARTAC). In December 1997, he was removed from both appointments for questioning the management of the project.
* Mr. Dale Timmons, a geochemist involved in the in-situ vitrification (ISV) of contaminated debris at Maralinga.
* Professor Peter Johnston, adviser to the traditional owners, the Maralinga Tjarutja, and Professor of Applied Nuclear Physics at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Mr. Parkinson’s view is that the clean-up was significantly flawed, especially the shallow burial of plutonium-contaminated debris. Prof. Johnston’s view is that the clean-up was successful overall despite poor project management by the Australian Government. Mr. Timmons has not commented on the overall status of the clean-up, restricting his comments to the ISV component in which he was heavily involved.”
Scary stuff.
Good post Frances. Thanks .. plenty I was not aware of here.
I am not sure what they were exactly doing on Christmas Island but it was tied into something nuclear, may not have been testing above ground. It was highly classified and it was an unaccompanied posting (no wives or kids). I believe around the coast some of the fish showed high concentrations of something, and some deformed.
I am surprised no one knew? Maybe because my ex was a nuclear bomber captain on Vulcans.1963 – 1965. And my bride’s maids husband had been posted there before when we met in Cyprus.
You’ve all missed my point about Christmas Island, I’ve commented about it on this blog before.
Christmas Island is only a few hundred km from Indonesia & over 1000 km from Australia, that is why ‘refugees’ are flocking there. The island has no relevance to Australia, it is a leftover from the old British order. The US wants a permanent military presence in the region, they can have Christmas Island & deal with the ‘refugees’. Win, win, for Australia & Tony & Julia.
And yes, it was thinly veiled sarcasm.
And probably still contaminated, eh?
Yes it was used for a nuclear test/s. Google, ‘Britain’s atomic test veterans win right to sue for compensation’. Telegraph today’s date.
So – yes those poor asylum seekers do they know? Or does the government know too? JMD, maybe we should let likely newcomers to those CI shores the secret is out. LOL
Blissful, who said we didn’t trust the Chinese? But Julia has invited them to join us in war games in the future? That shows trust. But the US of A and probably us, are very much in debt to the Chinese financially. And they are buying up resources and land. The Media will hype it up as usual, showing how to stir people up, without a great understanding of international politics. All these assurances of friendship etc., are not worth anything in peace time. It’s a hungry world out there, Blissful, and Australia has now placed herself/himself between two giants who are wary of each other. I’m not sure if that is good diplomacy or a showing on one upmanship?
of one up man ship.
Who gives a fuck what China thinks.
Much rather be in an alliance with the USA than the corrupt Communist thugs who run that country.
China is broke, ageing and struggling to hold down internal dissent by their people who have a gut load of 60 years of human rights abuses, corruption and cronyism.
They still have 400 million people living in abject poverty.
Militarily, China couldn’t fight its way out of a wet paper bag. Their air force is 1970’s Soviet technology except for a few modern fighters coming on line over the next 15 years. All of these are behind the latest US fifth generation aircraft.
Their army is huge but under equipped and immobile. Their navy is at least 30 years off being any sort of challenge to the US. China has one second hand aircraft carrier purchased from Russia that is not currently operational.
The US has 12 carrier strike groups, 5 of which are always at sea.
Bill they have nuclear weapons. In the sixties, my ex was a pilot with the RAF nuclear strike force. This was when Mao was sabre rattling with the USA. The problem with the Chinese then was they thought that their country is so big and populated they could not be knocked out by a nuclear strike by the USA.(With the UK and France too perhaps). He told me this….but Mao underestimated strategic tactics at the time, and didn’t realize a lot of dirty smaller nukes could render them sterile and contaminated for years to come…That was the frightening thing never underestimate your enemy or potential enemy.
China was helping North Vietnam, fighting with USSR on their borders, and invaded Tibet plus military activity against India.The problem smoothed over when America helped China out in a big famine.
Who is more dangerous when threatened real or other wise – a wounded, hungry lion or a healthy strong free one.
Bill – post script. They won’t use conventional weapons or invasion tactics, they will use nuclear weapons. Who said they didn’t know what weapons they would use in WWIII, but in World War IV, it would be stones and bows and arrows. I don’t know what Gillard is playing at, but I believe that her foreign minister doesn’t approve as he was consulted.
Very good points all, Bushbunny.
I’d also point out that when neither of the nuclear superpowers, the USSR and USA/Coalition, could defeat what are purported to be a ragtag bunch of goatherders in Afghanistan … after a combined couple of decades of trying … then anyone who underestimates the military potential of a nation like China is frankly a complete fool and blind.
Blissful, you know why. When the Russians were in Afghanistan, the yanks armed the Affies with anti tank and air craft missiles, modern arms etc. (That’s why they don’t use tanks there at the moment in militarized combat zones). There’s a drama/doco on it. Terrific fun too. I’ve got a copy and if I remember Tom Hanks played the part of the Senator that was responsible for this. But sadly at the end, the real senator said, we didn’t help them afterwards did we to strengthen them against any other incursion and improve their country. Like build schools, clinics, hospitals, etc..
Oh goat herders, why not mention drug growers, Afghanistan is the biggest producer of opium in the world as well as pot. A crop to protect, eh? Haven’t you seen troops walking through poppy fields and pot plantations.
You’re right again Bushbunny. The amazing resurgence of the poppy plantations after the US (CIA) invasion tells a big story.
Did you see the interview with political presidential Pakistan hopeful, Imran Khan, actually my sons met him when he played in Oz and got his autograph. They addressed him as Mr Khan, out of respect. He remarked ‘How polite, I have never been addressed as Mr before so nicely’. He was reported as say, the present Pakistan government was corrupt etc., and also commented that he couldn’t understand why Australia was involved in Afghanistan. Things haven’t improved there politically, and women are still being oppressed. Any improvements have to come from internal infrastructures not from outside interventions by military force. I have to admit that all it is doing is feeding the arms industries. Did you know the cost of one bloody bullet. $2! Cruise missiles, 40,000 dollars a pop, may be dearer now. I don’t think one Australian soldier’s life is worth what they have been attempting to do and correct. Al Qaeda is dead and gone now. Pull out and give them food and useful resources for sure. As my ex said once having flown over the middle east in reconnaisance PR 9s. when talking about the problems in Israel. (During the late 50s and early 60s) ‘A plague on both their houses’. I do think so it also applies to Afghanistan too today. Bit like Vietnam eh? To the USA, we are your ally, but don’t involve us in your fights especially ones that can’t be won.
We appear to be very much of like mind when it comes to the topic of war and militarism, Bushbunny.
The trouble is that the USA and the rest of the West goes along with it, that the only acceptable form of government is what we have. But is what we have really any better?
For instance in Malaysia they have elections, but corruption there is rife. I have a friend who lives in fear of her life because the current Malaysian govt. is totally corrupt. Most of her emails to me are written in her own kind of code, to avoid using anything to do with the word ‘Muslim’. She is not Muslim herself. Not being a Muslim means that she is ‘a second class’ citizen there, her race is Indian, but her family has been in Malaysia for several generations.
She worked all her life, in order to send her sons to University. When she retired. The government forced her to sign a form promising not to ever take any money out of Malaysia. So despite the fact that she would love to emigrate she cannot, because she would not be able to take any of her own money out of the country. She sent me photocopies of her son’s education documentation, so that if they ever had to suddenly flee they would be able to get the copies from me. Officially she cannot communicate with Israel, despite the fact that she has many Israeli friends.
This is the country that Julia Gillard wants to send refugees to. This current Labor government really has no idea what it’s doing, or with whom it is doing business. They are just flying by the seat of their pants. And one day they will have a very heavy landing.
Did Obama tell Julia, that there are 14,000 wind turbines standing idol in the USA. And several have been deactivated in Hawaii. Go to Tory Aardvark blog in the UK. Americans have one thing on the minds, $$$’s always and political up man ship without substance or genuine trustworthiness. But if they want more bases in Oz, then let them have them and make Australia millions/billions in the process. Give Darwin some extra dollars to in the process, so long as they all behave themselves in the process.
“… so long as they all behave themselves…”
And therein lies the rub.
I was referring to some of the problems Japan had with service men stationed there. Mind you our culture is closer to the yanks than the Japanese in some ways. Personally, I find the Americans, and it is hard to generalize, the ones I have met in Bermuda where there on an American base. They are rather gentile and overly conservative, particularly their diplomatic or consular staff. They took themselves rather seriously. Not the impressions we get from American movies or cop shows.
Hi Frances M, yes I know of people in the same situation too. I’m not sure what she can do? Other than consult the Indian or Australian Embassies. The Same thing happened to British South Africans twenty years ago. They were second class citizens too in RPA. I had a throat, nose and ear specialist in Tamworth who gave every new patient a history of being a British South African against being a so called Afrikaans, (Boar and of course Zulu, the other tribes like Mandela’s were almost on the same status as the British South Africans). He had to flee too, but couldn’t take any money with him? Might have changed now.
Of course there must be ways out of this mess, if she wants to flee Malaysia. You mention Israel? Well Mossad are no chickens. Maybe you could be an help here being a mediator between the Israeli embassy here and her secretly. It would have to be a covert operation. Shit – if this blog is monitored – no, I don’t think so. Hope not?
Sorry bushbunny, they may use nukes but the retaliation will leave them a smoking ruin. Their delivery systems are not up to scratch. Many warheads would reach their target but the pay back would be the end of them. The only ones using sticks and stones would the shattered remnants of Chinese civilisation. Their city dwellers and poilitical leadership would then “enjoy” equality with the 400 million of their citizens who already live that way now.
Hi Bill, I agree that having a nuclear warhead, means bugger all, if you have no way to deliver it. I mean to say, my ex used to deliver them or was trained to deliver them. However, that was directly from a plane. At the time the British had also a squadron of planes with stand off bombs.
Sort of like missiles, that would be set off from the air but they still had to be primed. One doesn’t fly around with an armed nuke in your belly, just in case you crash. And missiles from the ground to air, needs specialised and technical equipment to guide them. I used to call it the nuclear umbrella, meaning if you dare send one to us, we will send ten back to you. That’s why we call it the nuclear deterrent. I used to joke that all these petty countries with so called nuclear bombs at their disposal, without the proper equipment and staff, they might end up blowing themselves up first. I am not up with Chinese military strength, I suspect you are right, but with the Chinese one would probably not know. They won’t bite the hands that feed them would they? Me thinks that China is owed a lot of $$’s from the USA. And the US of A are still not out of financial problems themselves.