And it’s someone Trump has been warning us about since the Primaries.
They laughed at Trump for all the times he mentioned the potential threat that can be seen in China. But while the media was worried about levels of ‘Russian Collusion’ that have been entirely dwarfed by the political interference and machinations of our own Tech companies in Silicon Valley, there was another threat looming.
It’s a nation that has explicit designs to rival — and eventually eclipse us — as a global Superpower.
But the laughed at all the times Trump mentioned China. Will they still be laughing after hearing about what’s happening in one of our Five-Eyes intelligence alliance nations?
Australian intelligence determined China was responsible for a cyber-attack on its national parliament and three largest political parties before the general election in May, five people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Australia’s cyber intelligence agency – the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) – concluded in March that China’s Ministry of State Security was responsible for the attack, the five people with direct knowledge of the findings of the investigation told Reuters.
…The report, which also included input from the Department of Foreign Affairs, recommended keeping the findings secret in order to avoid disrupting trade relations with Beijing, two of the people said. The Australian government has not disclosed who it believes was behind the attack or any details of the report.
Source: Reuters
Why would Australia’s authorities keep something like that a secret? It’s simple. They were afraid.
China is Australia’s largest trading partner, dominating the purchase of Australian iron ore, coal and agricultural goods, buying more than one-third of the country’s total exports and sending more than a million tourists and students there each year.
Australian authorities felt there was a “very real prospect of damaging the economy” if it were to publicly accuse China over the attack, one of the people said.
Source: Reuters
How is this any different from a skinny school kid giving up his lunch money to the bully because he’s afraid of getting beat up after school?
Any time that leaders are so motivated by fear that they cannot act in the best interests of their own citizens, that nation cannot truly call itself free.
Look at how Trump has been calling out our friends and foes alike. Isn’t that exactly what talking heads have been complaining about?
Trump tells NATO that America will not be financially more committed to the safety of member nations than the ones it most directly protects — while previous Presidents only whined about the disproportionate burden borne by the American taxpayer?
Trump sees China stealing our tech and ideas, and hits them with crippling tariffs, and sees Russia defying our bilateral Nuclear treaty (which had no limiting effect on China) so Trump simply ended it.
Trump hit Iran with a cyberattack whose effects were still felt long afterward.
Friends and foes have seen that Trump meant what he said when he would ‘Put America First’.
Because our government owes no allegiance elsewhere. Why should our leaders behave as though they do?
