Message fo New Zealand as well. There have been increasing noises about it joining AUKUS
China tried diplomacy and probably didn't succeed, and now resorted to this very clear message
China tried diplomacy and probably didn't succeed, and now resorted to this very clear message
I don't mean to speak ill of Canberra, but it appears that the Australian authorities had thus far or until (very, very) rather recently failed to realize that "two can play this game."
How do you expect things to play out, especially with DC in its current state under Trump?
Lethe
Captain
Jacquie Lambie is one of the more recognisable faces in the Federal Parliament. Folks tend to like her even if they sometimes (or often) disagree with her because she doesn't come from the typical upper-class, private school-to-corporate lawyer pipeline that most politicians here do, and it shows. Before becoming a politician, she was an Army driver and MP. She's an independent Senator so there's no party apparatus pulling the strings. She calls things as she sees them, as in this case, and folks appreciate that authenticity.
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plawolf
Lieutenant General
I only tangentially followed what can only be described as a total freak out by the Australians, but what I have seen of the responses range from the ridiculous to the downright pathetic.
They have been needlessly keen in going out of their way to needle and provoke China in the SCS and Taiwan Straits for little more reason than because they can and want to in order to score points domestically and abroad, and now a tiny PLAN flotilla does some gunnery practice in international waters hundreds of miles away from their coast and they are outraged and hysterically alarmed. Have a tiny bit of chill mate and stop acting like a total pansy why don’t you? It’s embarrassing.
If you are so desperately afraid of the big bad panda bear coming to your house to pay you a return visit, why did you keep going to shit in front of his house and in his garden in the first place?
Aus Defence Minister keeps getting grilled about the 055s in their backyard:
Defence Minister Richard Marles also held a press conference a short time ago in Geelong, where he was again pressed about the response to the Chinese navy's live-fire drill.
We learned in estimates yesterday that defence was alerted to the exercise from aviation authorities half and hour after it began. NZ defence force relayed a warning around an hour later.
Marles reiterated his defence of how Australia handled the situation when asked if the notification delay highlighted any inadequacies in the process.
"No, it's been an example of how we've been able to surveil this task group in an unprecedented way. We will closely watch the task group for as long as they are in the vicinity of Australia," he said.
Earlier, Marles argued the delay was fine because China was conducting a drill, and it "wasn't a real incident".
Speaking to reporters in Geelong, the defence minister says people need to "take a deep breath".
"Our touchstone has to be international law. The Chinese task group, as I am advised, is complying with international law.
'Take a deep breath': Marles advice on Chinese warships
By Courtney Gould
Defence Minister Richard Marles also held a press conference a short time ago in Geelong, where he was again pressed about the response to the Chinese navy's live-fire drill.We learned in estimates yesterday that defence was alerted to the exercise from aviation authorities half and hour after it began. NZ defence force relayed a warning around an hour later.
Marles reiterated his defence of how Australia handled the situation when asked if the notification delay highlighted any inadequacies in the process.
"No, it's been an example of how we've been able to surveil this task group in an unprecedented way. We will closely watch the task group for as long as they are in the vicinity of Australia," he said.
Earlier, Marles argued the delay was fine because China was conducting a drill, and it "wasn't a real incident".
Speaking to reporters in Geelong, the defence minister says people need to "take a deep breath".
"Our touchstone has to be international law. The Chinese task group, as I am advised, is complying with international law.
Funny how the Ozzies reacted to the small PLAN warship flotilla right now is pretty much similar to how the Muricans reacted to that Wandering Balloon back in 2023.
Even funnier when you recall how both these two countries are often neck-deep into China's own business. Quite a coincidence, huh?
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Another update on 107 group's progress. They're looping around bottom of South Australia now.
They weird thing is it's New Zealand navy that has ships shadowing them not RAN. I guess RAN didn't envision this scenario could happen and didn't have any assets available.
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