Raucous Aucous … with highlighting imposed by Thuppahi
A: A Report from New Zealand: (see news headline in Appendix). They are not interested in Aukus or Quad and wish to keep right out of it which is ironic as the Philippines, an Asian country, wants to dig their noses right in it.
Former NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark says, “New Zealand interests do not lie in being associated with Aukus” because it would damage their foreign policy, which is a very strong statement.
Unlike the Philippines, New Zealand is not aligned with the US military, nor does it wish to do so. That will irritate Australia as well.
B: Paul Keating continues his case against Aukus in a new essay for the AFR. He notes with interest that since his National Press Club address last week, the Australian government’s narrative has shifted away from “acquiring nuclear submarines for war against China” to “acquiring nuclear submarines to protect Australian sea lanes for trade purposes. So if China isn’t threatening Australia after all, what the hell was the great “China is a threat” nonsense by the Gang of Five in The Sydney Morning Herald a few weeks ago?
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