Commentary
The issue of Australia’s relationship with China has been raised several times during the federal election campaign. Last month, it emerged that that the government of the Solomon Islands, which lie only 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) off Australia’s north-east coast, had agreed to enter into a security deal with China. There has also been attention focused on Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles and his seeming equivocation and obfuscation over dealings with Chinese officials.
The presence of a Chinese spy ship on the Western Australian (WA) coast last week prompted a stinging rebuke from Australia’s current Defence Minister, Peter Dutton. He previously compared Beijing’s actions to those of Nazi Germany and Russia, adding that: “The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war, and to be strong as a country.”
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