FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Take off rose-coloured glasses
THERE is no argument, China is important to Australia and our biggest trading partner. China also has an incredibly rich culture, tradition and history made by an amalgam of very innovative people accumulated over many millennia. However, Greg Barns (“Greatest threat to global peace is not China, it’s Washington,” Talking Point, August 10) and fellow travellers such as Ike Naqvi (Letters, August 15) need to take off their rose-tinted glasses and remember the cold war ended in 1990 with the collapse of Soviet Communism.
Chinese Communist government was founded by Mao Zedong whose dictatorship killed millions. Although somewhat more enlightened, Mao’s successors are still in control. Chinese foreign policy has made claims on the South China Sea, coverts democratic Taiwan, has reportedly locked up about one million Uyghurs for “re-education” and it would be hard to overlook the prodemocracy protests in Hong Kong. There is no comparison between the CIA and the Chinese Ministry of State Security.
Hopefully, our engagement and trade with China can encourage the Chinese Government to continue to evolve, continue to lift the living standards of the Chinese people and develop to become a force for good in this world.
Enter the Dragon
THE Dragon it seems is about to be unleashed. The ominous threat of China’s Hong Kong affairs office has stated that “those who play with fire will perish by it”. Hong Kong democracy activists are bracing inevitably for what will be a military assault to quell the 10 weeks of unrest. The Peoples Liberation Army is in readiness to suppress. Autonomy will not be an option for Hong Kong’s democracy movement when China is dictating by Orwellian design and placing oppression and control as its dictum. The burning question from a Western standpoint is whether democratic nations will again idly stand by and permit the haemorrhaging of a people whose only desire is liberty.
Uninspired on Tuvalu
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison, while keen to take responsibility for Australia’s plastics pollution problem, is allowing representatives to approach India about more Adani-like coal projects. Following his less than inspiring Tuvalu talks, he said Australia could not halt global warming and he is answerable only to the Australian people. One can only hope that when the time comes, possibly long after Scott is answerable to anyone, the government will be able to offer the people who used to live in places like Tuvalu more than a learn-toswim program. As to Australia only producing 2 per cent of emissions, think about what he’s admitting, 0.3125 per cent of a population of 8 billion producing 6.4 times as much carbon pollution as they should.
China threat
ANDREW Hastie as head of the parliamentary intelligence committee is a rare politician willing to confront the reality of the China risk. Infiltration of institutions and universities and cyber attacks against Australia are well documented. China has declared international waters off the South China Sea a core interest and Backlash on proposed free parking cuts Just build a couple more multistorey carparks on the CBD fringe (or encourage developers to include spare public carparking) and the short-term issue goes away … Once the light rail and ferry systems come on stream with improved bus schedules, carparking won’t be such a problem.— claimed them as its own. It has been involved with incidents with neighbours including firing at a Philippine fishing vessel, violation of Philippine air space and cyber attacks against Vietnam. These acts suggest belligerence rather than the peaceful rise that China has claimed as its objective.
Military bases have been set up from the South China Sea to East Africa. China now has a blue water navy capable of challenging the US, particularly in the Pacific. We can ignore the lessons of history but we do so at our peril.
Keep Pacific Island cash
GIVING $500 million of taxpayer dollars to Pacific islanders, who are probably already negotiating with China to establish bases in our region. All this money, just to be insulted by their leaders, while elderly Australians, who contributed to the building of this country, are freezing because of the cost of electricity brought about by the lack of caring of leadership of both persuasions in our parliament.
Speak out on expansion
DOES federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham think that instead of taking note of China’s expansion around the world and their military presence even close to Australia we should all be silent and just wait for them to break down our doors ( Mercury, August 12). I think there was a world war because people like Simon preferred to ignore what was going on in case they insulted someone. Speak up I say.
Midland Highway reversal
MINISTER Ferguson backs down on Liberal Party election promise for a Midland Highway four-lane upgrade. Fourth lane to be constructed if required! Do the existing two lanes plus one new lane equal the promised four lanes? Sounds like creative accounting: 2+1=4.
No need for socks
IT’S been reported that broadcaster Alan Jones suggested PM Scott Morrison should “shove a sock” down Jacinda Ardern’s throat at the Pacific Island Forum. Of course the Aussie PM is above such coarse notions — he has $500 million to shove down the throats of Pacific island nations — to distract them from mentioning the two objectionable “C” words.
Blackmans Bay pollution
EVERY state member for Franklin has been quiet about the ongoing and possibly fatal pollution on Blackmans Bay Beach. Not one Franklin member has bothered to listen to or assist residents with this malady. Our federal member Julie Collins has been silent as well. Our local wants to declare a climate emergency. Isn’t this a climate emergency?
Parking costs flattens investment
THERE goes the investment in Hobart with the parking changes being considered. Back to a ghost town. No one will shop there and they’ll move out to the suburbs. Well done, council.