Having lost Afghanistan, America has a new enemy in China. We blindly follow

Oct 29, 2021
US South China Sea
USS Carl Vinson, South China Sea. (Image: Flickr/US Navy)

Reversing the Morrison government’s policy on China is a matter of life or death.

Morrison’s blind hostility towards China has cost livelihoods. If he keeps going it will cost lives.

War with China over “the issue of Taiwan” is crazy. Taiwan is part of China and none of our business. Going to war over it would be in breach of the UN Charter.

Morrison insists he is defending Australia’s sovereignty. He has already ceded it to the US.

American economic penetration of Australia is 10 times greater than China’s. American influence is pervasive through Australian society and culture.

The US has military bases in Australia — China has not.

Under AUKUS, Morrison has agreed to a significant expansion of US military presence in Australia, making Australia a target for any Chinese reaction to a US offensive against China.

The US manipulates Australian policy-making, through the “Five Eyes” intelligence arrangements and through the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a policy think tank funded by the American military/industrial complex.

The nuclear subs deal is a boost to the US military/industrial fat cats, now that they have lost the $300 million per day from the war in Afghanistan.

We should “seek security in Asia, not from Asia” (Paul Keating). But we are now isolated in our region.

At least 160 countries, including all of our Asia/Pacific neighbours, cooperate economically with China. They won’t join us in hostility towards China. None see China as a threat.

Morrison and the Murdoch media insist there is a “China threat”.

China has not invaded anywhere. It is at war with no country.

The US has over 800 overseas military bases and is in 85 “shooting wars” around the world, even after Afghanistan. The US has overthrown at least 25 democratically elected governments around the world since World War II. China has not.

China’s trade restrictions are in response to Australia’s hostility, including a variety of trade barriers imposed by Australia against Chinese imports for about seven years before China retaliated.

China did not force Australia to send a third of our exports to China, we did it willingly. They have hurt some sectors of the Australian economy, but they are in no way a threat to Australia’s sovereignty or territorial integrity.

China’s defence build-up against the massive US military presence on its coastline does not constitute a threat to Australia either.

Australia would be foolish to rely on the US for its defence. Henry Kissinger famously said “the US has no friends and no enemies, it has only interests”.

The US did not consult us when it dumped Afghanistan, despite our close involvement with it in the destruction of that country and its people. Biden said it acted only “in its own interest”.

The US was quick to grab Australia’s share of the markets in China that were sacrificed in the name of “standing up to China”. The US did not ‘have our back’ as promised.

New Zealand has demonstrated that alliance under the ANZUS Treaty need not mean slavishly adhering to US foreign policy. It has shown that a middle path is possible.

Peace can only be assured by understanding and cooperation, never by military confrontation. Australia needs to adopt a reasonable and balanced approach to China.

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