War Drums are Beating !

 An Australian general has warned the special soldiers he used to command  that the " war drums are beating " and eventually conflict with China seems inevitable  He noted that China was already engaged in what he called " grey zone " warfare against our country and it was likely this would spill over into actual conflict in the future.

What Major General Adam Findlay is saying is what a lot of people in government are thinking.  China has chosen to virtually annex the South China sea and fortify the islands it has created there in defiance of a United Nations ruling.  It is harassing fishing boats from other nations and sea traffic is being constantly monitored by units of the Chinese navy.

China is now ignoring a treaty it signed with Britain when the lease on Hong Kong expired and it returned to Chinese control.  It has reneged on the freedoms promised and Hong Kong citizens can now be tried in mainland Chinese courts for what the Communist government terms " disloyalty " and whisked off to labour camps deep in the interior.

Its Communist government badly mismanaged the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan province and allowed it to escape to kill millions around the world.  When Australia insisted on a scientific enquiry to determine how it emerged, China angrily retaliated b y slapping tariffs on Australian exports and discouraging Chinese students from attending Australian universities.

There have been numerous cyber attacks on Australian industry, seeking out our trade secrets. It is obvious that they maintain a spy ring in this country which distributes misinformation and puts pressure on people from a Chinese background that now have citizenship here.  Those with relatives still in  China are particularly vulnerable.

China is in trade conflict with the United States and is using its huge trade surplus to influence its relationship with Pacific rim countries.  It is quick to fund infrastructure projects by way of a loan, and if payments lapse it will negotiate alternatives, such as access to a port as a supply  base for its navy. Its aim is to clearly gain superiority over the US  Navy.

China is seeking world power, but this is completely different to the old cold war with Russia.  Russia sought to export communism to the world and impose it on other countries - by revolution or with military force where necessary.

China simply wants to dominate world trade and needs the worlds biggest military machine to force its edicts to be recognised.  It is likely to force land conquests if the threatened food shortage eventuates, and that's when it may turn its eyes on Australia.

That's why it is important for Australia to keep its defence treaties intact with friendly other countries and maintain a coordinated defence against Chinese aggression.  We are a " middling nation " in the South Pacific and would be best served as part of a defence bloc.

Major General Findlay's warning is something we can not afford to ignore.