A Coalition Will Blunt Beijing’s Ambition

Beijing’s goals appear to be regional hegemony over Asia, the world’s largest market, as a start, and global pre-eminence from there. Some argue that Australia should accommodate Beijing and hope for the best; but that would result in the compromise of the freedoms and prosperity that make Australia the envy of the world.

What defence strategy should Australia adopt to deal with this daunting reality, then?

On the one hand, some appear to act as if nothing has really changed, that Australia and its allies can continue intervening around the world. On the other side, others argue that Australia should arm itself with nuclear weapons and try to go it alone.

Neither of these will work. Continuing to fritter away our collective military and political strength in “forever wars” and secondary theatres will result in China dominating Asia, with dramatic consequences for everyone but especially for Australia.