https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/xi-is-waging-more-than-a-trade-war-20201211-p56mmo Opinion Xi is waging more than a trade war There is no real trade dispute with China. Trade is just leverage in a much wider battle over sovereignty. Ross Babbage Contributor Dec 11, 2020 – 11.38am Current tensions between Australia and the Chinese regime are often described as a trade war. It is much more than that. What we are actually seeing is a far-reaching sovereignty war. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using a vast arsenal to coerce Australian governments to cede key parts of our political independence. Trade pressure is just part of a larger offensive. China is using more than just naval and military means to impose itself. AP This type of coercion has been a feature of the CCP’s campaigns to defeat domestic and international opponents for over a century. They used it during the long-running struggles against the nationalists and the imperial Japanese Army in the 1920s, 30s and 40s and in every campaign since, including their current struggles against Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia in the South China Sea, with Japan over the Senkaku Islands and with Taiwan over its sovereign status. In every case the CCP has launched sophisticated operations to penetrate, divide, corrupt, weaken and incapacitate their opponents and to force their collapse or capitulation. The Chinese see these forms of comprehensive coercion as a type of warfare because their goals are the same as violent combat – to overwhelm opponents and deny them their independence. Australia, the US, Japan, South Korea, India and most of the countries of south-east Asia. In recent months he has talked openly about China’s “long struggle” and the need for a “protracted war” against the regime’s opponents. Above all, we need to ensure that no country is left standing alone against China. Some months ago Xi reportedly described China’s relationship with the US as “fighting while embracing”. More recently, in commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, he said “China will need the martial spirit of the (Korean) war to overcome today’s challenges.” In pressuring Australia, the CCP has been using much more than trade sanctions. It has ramped up its propaganda and disinformation activities, greatly expanded its cyber operations and intensified its efforts to steal our intellectual property. Successive directors-general of ASIO have said the scale of foreign espionage in Australia is larger now than at any time during the Cold War. CCP front organisations have proliferated and numerous attempts have been made to recruit parliamentarians, businesspeople, media personnel and others. Ethnic Chinese residents continue to be harassed. These operations are planned, conducted and coordinated by four large agencies that are at the heart of the Chinese regime. They are the Propaganda Department, the United Front Work Department (that manages most front organisations overseas), the Ministry of State Security (the primary intelligence agency) and the People’s Liberation Army. All four report to the Politburo Standing Committee that is chaired by Xi. These organisations have deep experience in tailoring political warfare offensives to exploit weaknesses in targeted communities. Xi calls these operations one of his “secret weapons.” While the CCP has chosen to ramp up trade pressure, it is notable that none of the list of 14 grievances against Australia passed to a journalist by the Chinese embassy on November 17 relates directly to Australian trading behaviour. The complaints rather seek changes in Australian legislation, to Australian international and domestic behaviour and even to the rights of Australian think tanks to freely express and debate issues. The truth is that China doesn’t have a real trade dispute with Australia. The core agencies of the CCP have, nevertheless, decided that because more than a third of Australia’s exports are destined for China, we are vulnerable. They have calculated that the addition of targeted trade sanctions to the formidable forces already directed against us might make Australia crack. Their hope is that one or more political parties, industry groups or other opinion leaders will wilt, seek to compromise, give ground on Australia’s international and domestic interests and be prepared to water down some of our core principles and values. The firm defence of our sovereignty is the primary security challenge Australia faces this decade. There are many things we should do but four priorities stand out. First, we need to do our homework on China. We need to greatly strengthen national understanding of the CCP, its ideology, its practices, its track record and its future plans. We need to encourage deep expertise not only in our politicians and officials but also in the media, industry, trade unions and all important parts of our society. Second, we must energetically strengthen our international competitiveness and our national resilience. Many industries and enterprises need to rapidly diversify their markets and their product mixes. Third, we need to rapidly strengthen our military and para-military deterrence and defence capabilities. We need to move quickly to strengthen those capabilities that will provide high leverage in the types of crises we may face in the coming decade. Highly trained special forces are one capability that will have very important roles to perform. Fourth, we need to do more to assist all of our Indo-Pacific neighbours and friends that are also confronted by the CCP’s coercive pressures. Australia should work closely with Japan, India and others to initiate a New Security Partnership. This flexible network would provide both political and practical support to Indo- Pacific countries of all sizes as they strive to maintain their sovereignty and independence.
Australia is ‘most unfriendly country besides the United States’: Global Times editor Hu Xijin Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher with the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, Hu Xijin, in Beijing WILL GLASGOW CHINA CORRESPONDENT 6:04AM DECEMBER 11, 2020 https://www.theaustralian.com.au/na...g/news-story/6640f34457a6b214e17719bb54405320 The editor-in-chief of a Chinese Communist Party tabloid has boasted of telling Australia’s ambassador in Beijing at a private lunch that Canberra was “the most unfriendly country besides the United States”. Hu Xijin, editor of the state-run Global Times, dined with Graham Fletcher on Wednesday, and later posted details ostensibly of their conversation on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform where he has 24 million followers. Mr Hu was invited to meet Australia’s most senior diplomat in Beijing one day before China levied another 6 per cent tariff on Australian wine producers — in addition to 200 per cent levies introduced on $1.3bn of exports in November. The additional trade restrictions — on producers including Treasury Wine Estates, which makes Penfolds and Wolf Blass — are the third measure China has introduced on exports from Australia this week, after new imposts on timber and meat. The meeting between Mr Fletcher and Mr Hu, one of the world’s most-outspoken critics of Australia, at least demonstrates a willingness to talk, something that has not occurred at a ministerial level for eight months as China responds to perceived grievances by disrupting exports worth more than $20bn a year. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said Mr Fletcher “set out Australia’s clear policies in relation to China and on the US alliance”. “The meeting took place outside the embassy and was part of a wider set of engagements with Chinese media outlets to ensure Australia’s views are conveyed directly,” he said. “Australian officials must engage with arms of the Chinese government … to project Australia’s national interest-based positions. “Australia rejects the inaccurate and inflammatory coverage of Australia by the Global Times.” According to Mr Hu’s account, he told Mr Fletcher: “In the eyes of the Chinese, Australia is currently the most unfriendly country to China besides the United States.” Hu’s newspaper has become the Morrison government’s loudest foreign affairs critic, describing Australia as a “lackey”, a “US running dog” and a “giant kangaroo that serves as a dog of the US”. The Global Times has taken numerous controversial positions, urging police in Hong Kong to shoot protesters and describing people in mass detention camps in Xinjiang as terrorists. Mr Hu, according to his comments on Weibo, told Mr Fletcher he was particularly aggrieved by Australia’s refusal to engage with Huawei for the construction of the 5G network – the Chinese telecommunications company was black-listed by the Turnbull government in August 2018, a ban repeated in Britain and other countries since — and the new foreign interference laws. “On the South China Sea issue, it has jumped higher as an extra-regional country than an intra-regional country,” Mr Hu said he told his lunch companion. The trade row between Beijing and Canberra has escalated in the past month. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham is considering whether to take China to the World Trade Organisation, saying it appears the restrictions are inconsistent with a free-trade agreement signed in 2015. “After a reasonable start in bilateral engagement, in recent years the Chinese government’s lack of engagement has prevented the use of these structures,” Senator Birmingham said on Wednesday. The Australian has reported that the Australian coal flotilla stuck off the Chinese coast has swollen to more than 80 ships carrying cargo worth more than $1.1bn, as a go-slow by Chinese officials crunches the nation’s second biggest export industry. The Chinese embassy in Australia denied Senator Birmingham’s claims, and instead accused Canberra of launching anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations which “undermined Chinese companies’ interests and brought negative impact on economic and trade co-operation”. Despite the new tariffs on wine, Mr Fletcher’s meeting with Hu did result in a mild softening of the Global Times’ editorial line on Canberra the following day. “What’s surprising is that China and Australia have seemingly fallen afoul of each other for no reason at all,” the newspaper said in its Thursday editorial. “There are enough reasons and resources for the two countries to maintain a friendly and cooperative relationship for a long time. 2020 is almost over. “Looking to 2021, China-Australia relations need to improve.” While Mr Fletcher has not commented on Mr Hu’s recollection of the exchange, the Global Times editor said the diplomat told him Australia was doing what was necessary to safeguard its interests. “He asked me to note that Australia’s attitude on many issues related to China is different from that of the United States.,” Mr Hu wrote on Weibo. “He emphasised that Australia hopes to improve relations with China. At the same time, he also said that Australia is an ally of the United States and this cannot be changed. “I am afraid Australia needs to really change its attitude towards China and make adjustments in its actions, instead of helping the United States bite China while making a cheap statement of ‘take no sides’. Otherwise, I predict that China-Australia relations will hardly pick up, and Australia will continue to pay the price for its unreasonable China policy.”
Holding against China was one of the very few things I liked about the Trump admin. Can forget about that now with Biden. I am not sure Australia can play this alone. But I respect you mates for holding up.
Mick, Excellent post. Excellent vision. Your number one point on educating ourselves could not be more timely and spot on. This short video should be the first educational, eye opening point for folks to take in as this high ranking CCP spokesman candidly brags in open media about the collusion methods they use and those that assist them. Waking up too late to their endgame will be really unfortunate, maybe even deadly ... (not to discount that there is plenty of blame to go around on all sides). I would also posit that someone cannot fully understand the Chinese Culture without reading: (1) The Art of War for base strategy (as in all war is Deception) and (2) “Unrestricted Warfare” to understand current CCP plans & tactics. Shashoujian is not to be underestimated. Nixon et al placed significant weapons in the hands of a culture that is still quietly seething over a century of Yangtze Patrol Syndrome and others poorly considered mistakes. To dismiss a simple analysis of their endgame, let alone sell out a person’s homeland for a traitorous few pieces of silver, likely will bring Earth shattering consequences.
Three words: Close your country!!! And this is not just for Australia. This is for any country that feels any pressure from China. All diplomatic relationships should be based on good faith that benefits both countries and shouldn't have a landslide benefit for just one country. If you feel you are not getting what you want out of the relationship, then simply walk away. We do this when we were kids at kindergarten. Whenever somebody is not our friend anymore, we just walk away. And we find other kids that we share common interests with to become friends. If we can do this as kids, we can do this as adults. Too many mouths to feed? Stop taking immigrants!! Close your country!! The vicious cycle needs to stop. You CAN survive without China. You've done it since the beginning of times and you were fine. You can certainly do it now. Australian wine is great!! Buy Australian wine!!!
When the history is written, Trump will go down as the one man in power who constantly warned the US about the very real threat that China poses. No country has ever been a threat to the US like China currently is. Sure, the commies had nuclear weapons but that's about it. China has everthing compared to those (nasty) Russians and is using EVERYTHING. If software is slowly eating the world, China is as well and I doubt with Trump gone, anyone will do anything about it, until it's far too late. Like Trump or not, he's 100% correct. Having said that, the polticians will do something, just talk...