Cranky Lizard did not find any bases belonging to the People's Republic of China in the Pacific.
Cranky Lizard also rushes to declare that the Chinese people, the vast millions of them, are not hostile to Australia or any other nation for that matter.
The Government of the People's Republic of China; the Chinese Communist Party, is hostile to Australia because we have not, and apparently will not, succumb to their wishes regarding the use of various telecommunication systems, think Huawei, and we were one of the first nations to call for an open international inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 virus.
This malignant little beast was developed in Chinese Government laboratories in the city of Wuhan in China- and through a mistake, or negligence, or a combination of both, this vile little form of life was unleashed on the World.
Cranky Lizard does not suggest that this virus was deliberately unleashed on the World by the Chinese Government – no Sir!
Cranky Lizard suggests that a terrible mistake occurred, and the Chinese Communist Party, unable to accept or admit to mistakes threw a web of deception and lies over the origins of COVID-19 – and still does, to this day.
The escape of this virus into the four corners of the Earth has caused great embarrassment to the Chinese Communist Party; they have lost face on a global scale.
And, many of their subsequent actions can be directly attributed to the ferocious anger generated by their loss of global face.
But the reality of current Chinese attitudes to the rest of the World can be directly traced back to the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2017. At that Congress, China shifted to a more assertive, even aggressive, foreign policy.
Put simply, the reason why our relationship with China has changed is that China has changed.
Cranky Lizard observes that Australia has been blindsided by this change; our wealth, our geography and our powerful alliances have dulled our senses and have led us into a garden of soft and colourful deception.
"She'll be right. "became the attitude towards China as iron ore exports, agricultural exports, and intellectual property rights flooded towards China whilst Chinese manufactured goods, equipment and cash cascaded into Australia.
No thought was given to foreign policy and defence's external balance, as internal political clashes between conservative and socialist forces consumed our media and our attention.
Although Cranky Lizard reserves harsh judgement for the internal media, both electronic and print in this Nation. With a few notable exceptions, Australian media is dominated by shallow, sensationalist nonsense and is heavily biased towards the socialist, left-wing view of events.
Cranky Lizard asks – "Where are we now, approaching mid-2021, as far as our strategic situation is concerned according to our geography? "
Well…it is pretty apparent that we, as a sovereign nation, are much more vulnerable now than we have ever been since World War II.
We are not facing an invasion of troops from any nation; that is not the situation. But, we are economically vulnerable to China, our merchant shipping is virtually controlled by China, our strategic reserves of energy, which are needed to drive the sinews of our Nation, are held in another country and we are just pricking up our defence ears as we begin to hear the faint beat of the drums of war!
Cranky Lizard is aware, as most of you should be that the World today, as we observe it, is politically unstable, and many significant events are unpredictable. Western democracies are consumed with the nonsense of internal political struggles about their history; their social spectrums are speckled with blots of hysteria about communal perceptions of each other's role in our society: we are, all of us, bordering upon self-indulgent harm.
Current Federal Government actions are positive in addressing these matters. Legislation has been enacted which directly targets foreign interference; we have lifted our profile within the Five Eyes intelligence community. We have initiated and assiduously pursued a new quadrilateral alliance with powerful, democratic economies in our region, which are also affected by the developing assertiveness and aggression of China. Those nations are Japan and India.
Fundamentally we are watching a competition between systems governing human beings. Autocratic communism versus liberal democracies and is a competition which has been constant for many years commencing in 1917 with the establishment of communism in Russia.
For the most part, the liberal democracies have been successful because human beings do not like being regimented, directed, controlled or herded into economic, social and intellectual deserts.
And Cranky Lizard points out that the creation of the deserts mentioned above is the direct result of the application of socialism/communism.
Although it is necessary, for the sake of balance, to note that Communist China has achieved remarkable economic success in the past two decades – a success founded more upon the intellectual capacity of the Chinese people and their determination to drag themselves from social and economic poverty rather than the application of socialist/communist dogma.
Nevertheless, the achievements of the People's Republic of China are remarkable.
The Chinese Communist Party has stated that the integration of the independent democracy of Taiwan into the Chinese People's Republic is not negotiable and that, if necessary, they will take it by force of arms.
And that intention places Australia in a direct line of potential conflict with the People's Republic because we have clear lines of military alliances. In the event of Chinese military action against Taiwan, those alliances will be applied, and Australia will be expected to contribute in any number of ways.
Cranky Lizard points out that Taiwan has never actually belonged to China; its history dates back into the mists of time as never seen as part of the Chinese mainland Government, or, for that matter, the Chinese people. Taiwan became important to the Chinese Communists because the defeated remnants of Chiang Kai Chek's army and Government retreated to Taiwan in 1949, when the Communists forces of Mao Tse Tung arrived, panting and surprised, into an empty Beijing.
So, Xi Jing Ping is simply applying an old principle to a modern world. Today's Taiwan has nothing to do with the defeated remnants of Chiang Kai Chek – but Communist dogma will never accept that – never! And they will fight over this principle if they have to.
Cranky Lizard can say, with certainty, that if Xi Jing Ping assesses that the military cost, to the People's Republic of China, in treasure, lives and social disruption, to attack Taiwan, is so great that it is not worth the effort, then he will hesitate.
Nothing else will stop him.
Therefore, in our region, the Pacific, Australia's future peaceful development depends upon our ability to be agile enough to create a National force of deterrence of such lethality, that any military adventures in our region are not worth the cost.
Cranky Lizard asks: are we doing that?
And, the answer is a qualified Yes.
Which illustrates the point of the Latin phrase at the beginning of this article…
If you want peace : prepare for war!
Remember the 800+ dead Australians in Victoria. The Victorian Government is trying to…
Cranky Lizard notes that the Bribie Island buses are still trundling around half-empty; phone calls and letters to the Office of the Member for Pumicestone may help provide a solution.
Life is good, and there is plenty of it about: enjoy your days.
