‘Canberra picks sides’ | SCMP

Online here

“Canberra picks sides” says the print headline. And the right side, in my view. If indeed it’s quite true that a side has been finally and irrevocably chosen. After all, no matter how much Beijing tries to browbeat Australia because we’ve had the gall to call for an international investigation into the source of Covid 19, we still have a robust trade relationship. We still have a major embassy in Beijing overseeing relations across a broad area, including science, culture, education and even defence. We maintain our military attaché office there. 

David Morris, a PhD candidate, makes the the mistake of assuming that because he hasn’t read about it, it hasn’t happened. That because Indonesia claims it was shocked by the submarine deal — shocked, I tell you! — means it hadn’t heard of it before via diplomatic channels. Ditto France. They had. They’re crying crocodile… not tears, what?… umbrage? So that Beijing takes notice. Behind the scenes where most diplomacy should and does take place, there’s plenty going on and plenty being briefed. Morris as an ex diplomat ought to know that; maybe he does but it suits his argument to pretend he doesn’t.

I don’t like binaries. Who does? But again I’m reminded of Mao Tse-tung’s “One divides into two” (一分为二, Yi fen wei er). And if it is a choice, then I’m for the freedom way, flawed and all as it may be. Those flaws are on full show because of that very openness. China’s flaws — do we imagine they have none? — are never in show because they don’t allow them to be. We know the extent to which we can be influenced by media coverage, whether we admit it or not. So how can we not be influenced by relentlessly negative media around the US, and give a pass — or more, openly praise — the government of China. Because it “eradicated poverty” or some such. Sure, and also… repressing Xinjiang Uygurs, for just one. Where we don’t hear the full story. And now memorials of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen massacres are banned here as well, so that’s cropped into the memory hole. We just don’t know the full extent of Beijing’s wrongdoings, whereas every one by Washington is in full, deep, extensive, thorough display. 

Comments on the art Joe online not running quite so anti-Australia as I’d imagined. Perhaps the 50-cent army have been withdrawn and sicked into different targets, Taiwan perhaps. 

A comment from a “Jing L” (click to enlarge):

After which comment from a “Peter F”: