Greg Sheridan:
Like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan before it, China has established rapid, sustained economic growth under an authoritarian government. It leaves citizens free to get rich, provided they don’t oppose the government politically. But unlike Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, it has not moved on from that situation to one where a rising [...]
Last sunday, there was a lunch in Darlinghurst and a talk by Pramit-Pal-Chaudhuri, foreign editor the Hindustan Times.
He was an engaging and knowledgeable speaker who gave us his views on a range of topics broadly centered around Indian foreign policy. I learned a great deal, but mostly I learned how little I knew about the [...]
A protein that acts as a possible cure for radiation sickness has been invented by Israeli and American scientists.
This would be a more effective defense against nuclear weapons than anti-missile SDI technology. A combinatin of SDI and radiation cure would massively undercut the threat of nuclear weapons. They would still be a deadly threat, but [...]
‘Stop making noise’: China gets tough on Hu.
It didn’t take us long to find out how Kevin Rudd’s new diplomatic strategy would play out. Not very successfully, it appears.
A spokesman for the Chinese government, Qin Gang, explained why businessman Stern hu is guilty of espionage… because he caused monetary losses for Chinese interests. But since [...]
Kevin Rudd has introduced a new approach to foreign policy in his approach to China over the arrest of Australian businessman Stern Hu. You might call it the “vindictive dweeb”. It could also be called the “passive aggressive ex girlfriend strategy” or the avenging creampuff. The basic strategy has two components.
1. be a creampuff. When [...]
As Glen Milne said on ABC’s show Insiders, when talking about Stern Hu, the Rio Tinto executive who was arrested in China for espionage:
“This is what happens when you do a deal with the devil.”
He also observed: “We keep talking about the “Chinese Government.” It’s not a government, it’s a regime.”
This is the problem. [...]
From the Wall St Journal:
The electric-utility industry is planning a pilot initiative to see whether Chinese spies have infiltrated computer networks running the power grid, according to people familiar with the effort.
Blame the so-called smart grid, the initiative to make the American power grid more efficient, eco-friendly, and more accommodating to alternative power sources. The [...]
Also on China, the ABC reports a speech by Paul Keating:
Mr Keating said it made no sense for Australia to think of its national security in defensive terms.
What terms, other than “defensive”, should national security focus on? Offensive?
No, what Keating means is that we should become an ally of China, because then we will have [...]
Here’s a riddle: What happened last time Australia sold huge amounts of iron to a rising power in Asia?
Answer: Japan turned that steel into weapons and thus began the Asia-Pacific part of World War Two.
Here’s an interesting, totally unrelated fact. China has a 120 million tonne stockpile of iron. They’ve now stopped stockpiling, with a [...]