Life on the West Island - Chinese Whispers

For years, West Island politicians and mass media have whipped up fear about the dangers posed to our nation by China and its supposed ambitions to achieve military and economic dominance over the entire planet. We are told that its expansionism is illustrated by its militant actions in the South China Sea, but the China detractors have been unable to give any examples how in the past decade or more, China has actually engaged in armed conflict – unlike our three Quad allies the United States, United Kingdom and India.

After concealing the truth for almost two years, West Island security agencies recently admitted that its declaration of a “nest of traitors” in our midst actually came from our wonderful ally India. Since early 2023, mainstream media speculated that these traitors were Russian or Chinese, without a peep of correction from ASIO. The revelation that they were Indian received little or no coverage from major media, unlike the hysteria over a Chinese jet allegedly dropping flares in the general direction of a West Island military helicopter off the coast of China. Perhaps reasonably, China accused our military of spying on them many thousands of kilometres away from our own shores.

America has dozens of military bases around the world, particularly in the Pacific, and constantly spies on China, including from satellites controlled from the West Island. Can you imagine the uproar from our press and politicians if a Chinese military aircraft intruded into the Caribbean region? No wonder much of the developing world views us as hypocritical lapdogs of American imperialism!

Earlier this month, senior economic journalist Michael Pascoe called out the biggest lies about China which seem to be driving West Island policy, encouraged by media such as News Ltd and the plethora of “American Studies Centres” at West Island universities, allegedly funded by the CIA.

He identified three areas where our commonly agreed perceptions about China are misguided:

• China is winning from Gaza;
• China growing at 5 per cent now is better than China growing at 7 per cent a decade ago; and
• Australia’s biggest China lie is that we’re spending half a trillion dollars on boats to protect our sea lanes.

On the first point, Pascoe quotes the Chaguan commentary from respected conservative journal The Economist:

In China’s telling, America stands exposed as a hypocrite, quick to accuse China or Russia of breaking international law and abusing human rights, while supplying bombs used to kill civilians in Gaza. In Beijing it is said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine united the West, but Israel’s conflict with Hamas is dividing it again. It is predicted that if Donald Trump is re-elected his allies will learn, once again, that this is a friendless world and that ‘America First’ means what it says.

The article cites a south-east Asian survey showing declining confidence in America as a reliable partner and greater scepticism about its “international rules-based order”. Gaza is listed ahead of “aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea” as a matter of concern.

Pascoe goes on to examine the state of the Chinese economy, amid reports that its growth is stalling:

A major economic milepost was passed last year when China started exporting more to the rest of the world than it did to “the West”. The US-led attempt to isolate China is demonstrably failing, but Australians tend to be only fed the American view.

For as long as China has been rising, there has been an industry devoted to forecasting China’s fall. Whatever Beijing’s economic policy failings and problems – and there certainly are failings and problems – such forecasts continuously underestimate Chinese pragmatism, entrepreneurial drive and resilience.

I’ve been watching China for long enough to remember when the country’s GDP growth falling below 10 per cent was called a disaster when of course growth had to slow as the economy grew bigger. In very simplistic terms, 7 per cent of 200 is 40 per cent bigger than 10 per cent of 100. It’s happening again now with China’s GDP growth of about 5 per cent, down from 7 per cent a decade ago.

In 2013, the recorded GDP growth of 7.7 per cent for a $US9.57 trillion economy meant an extra $US737 billion. In 2023, 5.2 per cent growth for a $US17.52 trillion economy means an extra $US911 billion ($1.4 trillion in our money).

(By way of comparison, US real GDP grew by a strong 2.5 per cent last year, delivering current-dollar growth of $US1.61 trillion – about a trillion US dollars less than the rise in American government debt to $US34 trillion. China isn’t the only country with challenges.)

Finally, Pascoe examines the need for, and effectiveness of, the West Island’s highly criticised AUKUS plan to buy six nuclear-powered submarines within 30 years. He writes:

It was while checking China’s trade flows that the obviousness of our big bipartisan China lie hit me: We have been told we are spending $384 billion – and the rest, of course, call it an easy half-trillion – to buy nuclear-powered submarines to “protect our sea lanes”.

That is the lie. We are buying the subs to threaten China’s sea lanes, specifically in its “front yard” of the South China Sea where American nuclear strike forces have been patrolling ever since they existed.

Pascoe’s insightful comments starkly highlight that the Chinese whispers circulating in West Island political and media circles are not only untrue, but they threaten the stability of our relationship with our largest trading partner. Our great ally America is in decline, and China is on the rise. America’s economy and democracy are slumping and its demonstrable division and addiction to conspiracy theories and failure to resolve the racial and religious chasms still persisting since the Civil War mean that the Disunited States of America may in fact disintegrate – especially if demented and debauched cult leader Trump becomes President again