China has demonstrated its capabilities already, including in Taiwan, where it has waged disinformation campaigns, and in serious hacking incidents in the United States. Australia is underperforming and leaving itself wide open as longstanding fears look set to come true. What Would a US-China War Mean for America's Allies and Partners? A Professor Clinton Fernandesis a former intelligence officer in the Australian military and now Professor of International and Political Studies at the University of New South Wales. A new 'veloway' is welcome news for Melbourne's cyclists. Taiwan is much closer to China than the United States. Its army is now deploying troops to Africa for peacekeeping missions that give first-hand experience in conflict zones after decades of relative peace. Such concerns must be overcome before any aid can be offered to our allies. What would war with China look like for Australia? Part 2 While these have been costly, they also provided invaluable combat experience. China-US superpower showdown: military strength Credit:Matthew Absalom-Wong. "I worry when politicians start to think it is acceptable to use the media to make threats about war. He believes a blockade of Taiwan by China is more likely than a cross-strait invasion. That is massive! It has been growing by 6-8 per cent each year for the past five years but according to defence intelligence agency Janes, US spending remains miles ahead at $759 billion. "To the extent that China's strategy is informed by Sun Tzu, it would have a strong preference for a short, sharp war. Far fewer know their real story. A separatist democracy against a legitimate government? With that in mind, I sought the views of four of Australia's most experienced military strategists, with 100 years of high-level military and strategic experience between them,to discuss what joining the US in a war with China could mean for Australians. Guam is 1,300 nautical miles and Honolulu (Pearl Harbor) is over 4,200 nautical miles from Taiwan. "Would Australia have taken steps to make sure its own intelligence is based on Australian information and assessments? A successful Chinese invasion of Taiwan would punch a hole in the U.S. and allied chain of defenses in the region, seriously undermining Americas strategic position in the Western Pacific, and would probably cut off U.S. access to world-leading semiconductors and other critical components manufactured in Taiwan. The only way we can possibly win such a war is to build a coalition similar to NATO. War over Taiwan would be disastrous, Australias chief of defence General Angus Campbell told a recent gathering. "When the US closed down Bagram airbase in Afghanistan the Afghan Army collapsed. Major combat against the US means two nuclear-armed states fighting each other. The number of inhabitants is 1,444,390,177. China is largely trying to take territorial control, which makes east Asia a likely location for trouble. Earlier this month, the United States Air Force staged a demonstration involving four heavily armed F-16 fighters. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would presumably discuss the matter with his National Security Cabinet before any decision is made but there are no checks and balances built into the system before the PM makes the biggest decision that a leader can make to send our young men and women to war. It is for that reason that some commentators, including me, do not think that China is likely to initiate an offensive war in the near future, until it is sure that it has enough mass to win quickly.
