Seems like China sees Australia as the front line in their battle with the West.

The recent nuclear submarine deal makes a lot more sense with that world view.

I have a feeling Australia will also get nukes reasonably soon. First nuke subs, then US bases with US nukes, then nuke subs with nukes. The Chinese pushed the Australians too far, they underestimated their obstinance. Australian attitudes are changing rapidly and in my view it won't take long until a nuclear deterrence becomes the obvious and only solution.

I too assumed this is why China was so upset by the subs decision. The strength of the reaction doesnt make sense on subs alone.

How has China ‘pushed’ Australia at all?

Essentially, circa 2015+, Australia began loudly pushing back on Chinese claims to the South China Sea & regarding Taiwan, and banned Huawei involvement in core telecom.

China, seeking to make an example in the region, escalated.

https://www.hudson.org/research/17228-how-china-overreached-...

"Since 2018, China has refused to accept cabinet-level meetings with Australian counterparts, and for the past year is refusing to even accept phone calls. Since 2020, Beijing has imposed punitive measures against Australian barley, coal, timber, beef, cotton, sugar, copper, wool, lobsters, wine, and liquefied natural gas. These export sectors bring in around $15 billion a year from China. State authorities have issued arbitrary travel and safety warnings to Chinese students hoping to study in Australia."

So if Australia was the instigator, how can China be blamed for their sanctions (“pushing” Australia)?

How do you read that comment and conclude that Australia was the instigator? Do you really believe that China's claims to the South China Sea are legitimate?

They have threatened Australia in military terms a bunch of times in the the last decade via politics, military leaders and CCP aligned media.

Most recently saying with these new subs we are a potential nuclear target now. Or the paper cat will soon learn its lesson type articles. Quite a few of these over recent years and while many are probably bluster, it's hard for people on the end of this to not think its best to prepare for them being more than empty words.

In very broad strokes I think China spent 30 years trying to align Australia politically to them, now this has push back they have moved to make an example, not helped that our current leaders seem to have equally encouraged this new relationship. I doubt it will ever be military action but at the same time we should prepare for the unlikely. Nukes make sense for Australia and other small nations where there is threat. As much as they are horrible things and it may lead to nuclear proliferation, it's the only self reliant way for a small nation to protect itself from a large nation if things go hot.

Id actually like to see a world where countries agreed to serious limits to military. Maximum # jets, ships, troops and tanks type thing so a build-up to war would be harder, more obvious and give time to deal with fractured relationships.

ANZAC are the only two European settled Western countries in Asia, so not surprising. Especially since Australia is so closely integrated into the Anglosphere.

ANZAC stands for Army corps, not for the countries. And the countries have themselves are not in Asia.

ANZAC stands for Army corps, not for the countries. And the countries have hemselves are not in Asia.

> ANZAC are the only two European settled Western countries in Asia

It wasn't for lack of trying.

interesting perspective, i have not even considered that

Makes sense as AFAIK they are reliant on China with their economy

I thought so, too. But it seems it is more the other way around: Australia was doing fine (can sell its stuff elsewhere), but China needs the imports:

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3151549/c...

It's complicated. By proportion of trade, China is more important to Australia than Australia is to China.

But that only speaks to the total values, not substitutability or importance.

Given that most of what China imports from Australia are raw materials, and China is still a primarily manufacturing and construction economy (in dollar terms), it seems like a shortsighted move.

Especially since Australia generally has good relationships with the West (especially the UK and US) due to shared culture.

The proper time to try to bully Australia into line would have been 20 years from now, once China's economy has fully developed and Belt and Road has had time to play out.

But I imagine the Chinese were looking at Australia through the optics of (1) what the US was doing & (2) how a Chinese reaction to Australia's stubbornness would be read by other, smaller SE Asian countries.

As an immigrant in Canada, I always thought Canada is the entry door in the West for China. Canada's biggest city Toronto not only has a huge amount of Chinese population, a vast majority of them are new wealthy immigrants. Urban white Canadians also tend to be pro-China under woke ideology umbrella.

meh these days the important messages are delivered by WeChat.