In These New Times

“Per the first pair, any diminishment of China’s powerful economic influence in Australia – particularly in terms of commodity purchases, investments, real estate deals, and wealthy foreign students – could theoretically be replaced by the US or its allies, though not on the same qualitative level and not without self-inflicted damage to the island nation.”

This is an understatement: Australia is geared to exporting raw materials to the world’s foremost productive economy. The USA cannot replicate China’s role in this respect and, as for US allies, well, who are they? Merely assuming, as the latest national security doctrine does that India and Japan are US allies doesn’t mean that they are US allies. After all, is the UK, the country Trump refuses to visit, a US ally? Clearly, the Australian “security state” is biting back but can it trump Australia’s fundamental interests? Australia’s own little Brexit will likely be as ephemeral as Brexit itself.

Andrew Korybko

Oriental Review

Australia is implementing its own “foreign agents” legislation modelled off of the US’.

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