Australia wrestles with Port of Darwin, under Chinese ownership

[TexasTowelie]

May 3 (UPI) -- Australia could be footing the bill for the Port of Darwin if the government cancels a 99-year lease to the port, which is under the ownership of a Chinese billionaire.

Australia's defense department is "reviewing" the Northern Territory's lease to Landbridge, owned by Chinese tycoon Ye Cheng, after members of Australia's government and the political opposition raised concerns, Australia's ABC News reported Sunday.

But if Landbridge is forced to sell its ownership, it would force Australian taxpayers to provide the company compensation, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday.

According to estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Office two years ago, Australia would have to pay about $23.2 million in compensation to Landbridge if it is forced to relinquish Darwin.

Read more: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/05/03/china-China-Australia-Port-Darwin-lease-review/2741620061514/

[msongs]

1. worth 23.2 million to get rid of the foreign control of their own city nt

[2naSalit]

2. +1

[Mickju]

3. I agree.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. Hi TexasTowelie. More than happy to pay more tax if I need to...

The thought of China having any sort of control over our ports or basically anything that we should have control over, sends cold chills up my spine. I'm no fan of our current govt, but sucking up to China in order to keep them interested in our barley, beef, wine and other stuff just isn't worth it. I think we should find other markets, cut off the iron ore supplies and see how China likes it when that happens

Oh, and thank fucking god Covid happened and my local supermarket is no longer infested with Daiguo. I had a friend who couldn't get formula for her bub because the shelves were empty coz of the personal shoppers. I'm sure it's not great for the companies, but I prefer it this way...

[TexasTowelie]

6. Hello Violet.

The Chinese influence in the economic affairs of other countries certainly has repercussions. Americans have become addicted to low price consumer goods from China with the price being the loss of jobs in manufacturing, textiles, and IT. The Chinese have also interjected their economic might into Africa and the Latin American countries. It's never a good idea to allow a foreign country to build up a substantial share in important economic sectors, but the Chinese have been more flagrant about using their influence than other countries.

[Radical Ant]

5. Did you hear about this?

https://www.9news.com.au/national/china-australia-tensions-us-military-plans-to-stockpile-weapons-northern-territory/101f6ab2-991e-4af8-ae1f-71416e63a887

[TexasTowelie]

7. No, I haven't read about that report.

I'm afraid that China is going to raise the tensions across several nations in the Asia/Oceania/Australia region.

[Radical Ant]

8. Tensions

I think it's the USA thats raising tensions in the region by flooding Australia with missiles and soldiers in establishing another army base to conduct war "games" and alllow B52 type bomber fitted with nuclear warheads to be located Australian soil.

[marble falls]

9. Seriously. The US has nuclear weapons in Australia the Australians don't want? ...

You might be reading Pravda and watching RT too much.

https://www.defence.gov.au/foi/docs/disclosures/421_1213_Documents.pdf

On page one the Australian government declares its desire for nuclear disarmament in the first paragraph. Also in that paragraph they declare the because the world is not disarming, Australia's defense security "benefits from extended nuclear deterrence under the US alliance".

Very fucking clearly: if there are US nuclear weapons in Australia, they are there with the express knowledge and support of the Australian government. Anyone saying otherwise is sadly misinformed or maliciously misinforming.

Please widen your reading list.


BTW: how's the pizza in Australia?

[marble falls]

12. And I don't wnat either fucking one. Screw nuclear weapons, the Chinese infrastructure already is.

[marble falls]

14. If the choice is between US or Australian and Chinese infrastructure, screw China ...

Maybe you ought to just call out your argument because I don't have a clue where you're headed with this.

[marble falls]

16. Sounds to me like you have a knee jerk response. Explain how a preference for bldgs that ...

... don't collapse is "yellow peril".

Explain why there more Chinese coming to Australia or the US than all westerners moving to China put together.

Explain how your crap responds to whether the US has nuclear weapons "hidden" on Australia that the Australian government doesn't know about or wants removed.

[DJ TEXXAS]

17. Me thinks

all this is because we dont see chinese bombs and weapons and Chinese’s troops occupying
Ozzie land

[marble falls]

18. I'm not sure I understand.

[DJ TEXXAS]

19. Like for not like

I mean all the false panic about the Chinese. It’s not as if they have as above like the Americans do in australia

[marble falls]

20. Really. You can't see US nuclear weapons in Australia, either, assuming there any ...

Secondly, the part you keep ignoring is: The Australians get to invite who they want - in this case, if Americans are there, they were invited. The Chinese it seems were "included out".

Explain your problem with Australia inviting who they want to be there.

[DJ TEXXAS]

21. The masses did not invite

Troops bombs weapons nuclear armed warships and occupation. Who would want that?

[marble falls]

22. What do you mean, that if there are US nuclear weapons in Australia, Australia didn't invite ...

... them?

In case you forgot:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1086&pid=1466

You might be reading Pravda and watching RT too much.

https://www.defence.gov.au/foi/docs/disclosures/421_1213_Documents.pdf

On page one the Australian government declares its desire for nuclear disarmament in the first paragraph. Also in that paragraph they declare the because the world is not disarming, Australia's defense security "benefits from extended nuclear deterrence under the US alliance".

Very fucking clearly: if there are US nuclear weapons in Australia, they are there with the express knowledge and support of the Australian government. Anyone saying otherwise is sadly misinformed or maliciously misinforming.

Please widen your reading list.

[TomSlick]

24. I think the only US military forces in Australia is a Navy communications station

that provides services to the US, UK, and Australian military and an intelligence gathering station. There are no "occupation" forces in Australia. There are no US forces of any kind in Australia that are not there at the invitation of Australia.

Australia is a representative democracy. If the people of Australia wanted all US assets to leave, it would happen. At this point, the people of Australia recognize that their alliance with the US and UK protects them from Chinese ambitions. The other side of that coin is that Australia being aligned with the world's democracies is unwanted by China.

Democrats, and be extension DU, generally support democracies around the world and oppose autocracies like China. If you are a supporter of China, you may not be on the correct discussion site.

[TomSlick]

29. Your position is not supported by the evidence.

First, there are no US Army forces in Australia. There are US Navy personnel in Australia but no Army units.

Second, if a majority of Australians did not want foreign forces in Australia, they would not be there. That is how representative democracies work.

Third, you are assuming the people of Australia are stupid. The presence of US and UK forces in Australia are known to the Australian people. If they are not discussed in Parliament, it is because there is no movement to change the status quo.

Fourth, you are assuming the existence of a conspiracy by the US and some unidentified dark force in Australia to suppress knowledge of the supposed US occupation from the Australia people. Recourse to such conspiracy theory establishes that your position is free of facts.

I'll show you my cards. I'm a US Democrat and a retired US Army officer. Now show us your cards. Are you PLA or CPA?

[TomSlick]

35. I can accept that you are a socialist but that doesn't answer my question.

The English expression is "if you must know," not "if you just know." An fluent English speaker would write, "The Australian public is kept in the dark...." You need to brush-up on English verbs and articles.

You are obviously not a native English speaker, so therefore neither a Texan or Australian. That leads me to conclude you are not CPA. If you are not CPA, that only leaves PLA as a possible answer to my question.

You should hope your superiors do not ascertain how you were outed as a PLA troll.

[marble falls]

30. The representational government of Australia invited whatever US presence to Australia ...

... that's there.

The alleged presence around Alice Springs of what some claim is NSA and CIA listening posts must really grist your wheat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Gap

[marble falls]

25. What in the world does that even mean? If every country got their shorts bunched everytime ....

... a foreign business invested in an industry we'd be choking on the scent of burnt hair every minute of every day.

Secondly, explain how Chinese ownership of harbor facilities is the same as the US military being invited to whatever degree by the Australian government pursuant to a series of treaties and mutual defense agreements. Does the term 'false equivalency' ring a bell?

I do not know what your real point is. Maybe you just need to spit it out instead of dancing around it: what is your beef?

[marble falls]

28. No poop. So why are you hysterical about an invited US presence in Australia???

[TomSlick]

32. What's a "bombs weapon?"

It's abundantly clear that you are not a native English speaker, so the "Texxas" thing is bogus and you are not an Australian.

So, are you PLA?

[TomSlick]

38. "Bombs weapons" is not a thing for English speakers.

All bombs are weapons but not all weapons are bombs.

Someone interested in defense issues in the Pacific rim would be very familiar with the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The only such person who would deny knowledge of the acronym would by a PLA troll.

I hope you enjoyed your time on DU, I surely did.

[marble falls]

42. It's all about your mischaracterization of the Australian/US allience and your assumtion of US ...

... nuclear weapons on Austrailian soil against the will of Australia and the Australian people.

You overreach. You rat your own self out. Your "concern" is troubling in its insincerity.

[TomSlick]

49. Yes, I am confident you do not understand.

English is a difficult second language.

[marble falls]

36. That's a pile of convolution right there ...

Australia and the US have had for almost a century a series of treaties regarding self mutual defense, including SEATO, and it's successor organization, ANZUS. We are there, IF we are there with your conjectural nuclear weapons or not, to form an alliance to offset China.

Curiously, you don't want alleged US nuclear weapons in Australia, how would you feel about some Chinese nukes?

Why don't you want cooperation between the US and Australia? I have a feeling it's the same reason that Xi Jinping doesn't like it.

[marble falls]

39. Why does China have nuclear weapons? Why is China trying to move international borders ...

... in the China Sea?

You're being extremely disingenuous.

Look it up.

Do I smell pizza?

[marble falls]

43. Is Australia in the South China Sea?

[marble falls]

45. If there's no threat boyo, why are you feeling threatened by your quite possibly imaginary ...

... US Nuclear weapons.

We are in Australia by invitation. China is the reason.

[Sunny Jim]

50. Nuclear weapons

Are pretty useless in my opinion

[marble falls]

51. That's a whole new issue. Re-aligned your argument?

[marble falls]

53. Have you explained that to the Chinese gov't yet? What does this have to do with your ...

... alleged US nuclear weapons in Australia?

[marble falls]

55. How would Marx explain the dicotomy of "dead labor" and the US standard of living? ...

... your argument assumes there is no economical benefit to producing nuclear weapons, and you're wrong. Nuclear weapons is a money making venture.

[marble falls]

57. Absolutely adds to the bottom line. You're confusing GNP with the consumer market. And ...

... even then you forget the uranium miners, the firms that make and sell tools, the steel workers, the truck drivers, the people who make those trucks and service them, the construction workers, the security and military personnel ..... You don't go to a nuclear weapon machine, drop your billions in and get one made by some mysterious outside force not of this world. Bombs don't make themselves, they don't appear spontaneously.

They show up as a piece of the GNP. People paid rent from it and made purchases from their income from it.

When are you going to get to the meat of your message?

Maybe Marx didn't consider nuclear weapons?

[marble falls]

59. And you're strongly wrong. Maybe in China people donate materials and labor for free ...

... building nuclear weapons - something the Chinese and the Russians are very good at. Why don't Chinese nuclear weapon scare you? Compare the standard of living for the average US citizen to that of China.

Your Marxist pals are the ones enslaving their people, building nuclear weapons they can afford at the sacrifice of a consumer market.

It's not the bomb that kills an economy, it's the political system.

Bombs are, unfortunately, part of the GNP - strongly denied or not.

Simply denying doesn't support any argument.

[marble falls]

61. But I am willing to continue to try to educate you. Don't be so hard on your self!

[Jim G.]

46. Is There A Two Drink Minimum For This Show?

Did you get my pm?