Outrage as Chinese Nationalist Calls for Beijing to Take Control of Australia
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – A wave of condemnation is building after a Chinese nationalist commentator suggested Beijing should take control of Australia, claiming its “downfall is predetermined.” The remarks, surfacing amidst escalating tensions between the two nations, have reignited concerns about Chinese influence and aggressive rhetoric.
The comments reportedly stem from online discussions fueled by recent incidents involving the Chinese military and Australian defense forces. These include a May incident where a Chinese fighter jet released flares dangerously close to a Royal Australian Air Force plane in international airspace over the South China Sea, prompting a diplomatic protest from Australia over what it called an “unsafe and unprofessional” act.China countered by accusing Australia of “illegally intruding” into its airspace.
This followed a February incident where a Chinese naval taskforce conducted a live-firing drill in the Tasman Sea without prior warning, subsequently circumnavigating Australia’s coastline.
The escalating tensions are occurring against a backdrop of growing anxieties about a potential regional conflict. Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst malcolm davis recently assessed the probability of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan within three years at 50 percent. Such an invasion would likely draw in Australia and its allies, possibly broadening the conflict.
Experts warn that a regional conflict involving Australia and China would have devastating consequences.Jennifer Parker, an expert associate at ANU’s national Security College, stated on ABC’s Four Corners program that Australia would likely “experience significant loss of life…not only ADF personnel but civilian population,” and that the “Australian way of life…would absolutely change.”
The latest nationalist outburst is being viewed by some as a manifestation of the “fervent, aggressive and loud version of nationalism” instilled through China’s Communist Party-directed education system.
Australia’s relationship with China, its largest trading partner, has been under increasing scrutiny, especially following a risky intercept of an Australian aircraft by a Chinese fighter plane in recent weeks. The situation underscores the complex and increasingly fraught dynamic between the two countries.
