Communist Chinese Battleship Practice, Live Fire in the Tasman! By James Reed
In a world where international relations sometimes resemble an outlandish fireworks display, the latest spectacle unfolded across the shimmering blue expanse of the Tasman Sea. On one side of the stage, China—ever eager to assert its theatrical prowess—unleashed a barrage of live-fire exercises that transformed the usually placid waters into an impromptu arena of explosive pyrotechnics. Missiles soared like errant sparklers at a Fourth of July parade, and what was once a gentle maritime breeze became a tempest of booming volleys that sent ripples of astonishment (and a few stray rubber duckies) across the region.
Meanwhile, in the hallowed halls of power, Prime Minister Albanese—whose reputation for measured calm is now matched only by the gentle rustle of a timid wind—responded with a kind of quivering equivocation that left onlookers wondering if he had mistaken the event for a particularly boisterous military simulation at a local funfair. His response, delivered with all the gravitas of a damp squib on a rainy afternoon, was as tepid as lukewarm tea, failing to capture the gravity of what many considered an unprecedented show of force. It was as we would put it in the pub, bl**dy gutless!
Critics and commentators alike were left aghast, clutching their pearls and sipping their double espressos in disbelief, as the Prime Minister's statement drifted out like a deflated balloon. "We note the exercise with interest," he declared, his voice barely rising above a polite murmur. "Rest assured, we are keeping a keen eye on developments." The words, meant to reassure and rally national pride, instead evoked comparisons to a misdirected weather report on a day when the forecast promised a tempest.
As the explosions subsided and the Tasman reclaimed its placid dignity, questions swirled like autumn leaves in a gentle breeze: Was this a demonstration of overwhelming military might or a misguided attempt at theatrical diplomacy? And what of the Prime Minister's response—had it been designed to calm the nation or merely to underscore the absurdity of expecting decisive action in a moment of such explosive provocation? Or was it just more of a socialist prime minister grovelling to his masters?
In this over-the-top drama of modern geopolitics, China's dazzling display of military fireworks clashed spectacularly with Albanese's delicately faint response—a duet of bravado and bureaucratic hesitancy. One could almost imagine a narrator in an old-time radio show intoning, "Stay tuned, dear listeners, as the plot thickens in a world where even the mightiest live-fire exercises are met with nothing more than a wisp of an official's sigh."
Thus, as the sun set over the Tasman and diplomatic channels buzzed with feverish debate, one thing became abundantly clear: in the realm of international theatrics, sometimes the spectacle itself outshines the response, leaving citizens to wonder if they were witnessing a masterclass in strategy or a splendidly orchestrated farce.
Macrobusiness.com.au goes even harder, and angrier than me, and I hope I censored all the rough pub language!
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/02/albo-china-grovel-delivers-battleships-in-the-tasman/
"Albo China grovel delivers battleships in the TasmanCongratulations must go to the Albanese government and its Grand China Grovel, for it has delivered what is left of "Australia" a truly unprecedented outcome.
When Qantas pilots jetting across the Tasman have to worry about the threat of potshots from Chinese warships, the stabilisation in relations between Canberra and Beijing has reached its limits.
As a starting point, the Chinese naval task group did nothing wrong, in the legal sense, when it may have conducted a live-firing drill on Friday about 640 kilometres east of Eden, a port town on the NSW South Coast.
The flotilla, which has been tracked for more than a week off the east coast, was in international waters and out of Australia's exclusive economic zone. Australian authorities and airlines were warned via an aviation radio broadcast frequency that the ships were going to perform a live-firing drill, which necessitated an exclusion zone 45,000 feet high and 18 kilometres across for aircraft to avoid.
Senior Australian defence chiefs described the Chinese actions as disruptive, rather than provocative.
This doesn't make it right. When Australian warships conduct live-firing drills, they give 24 to 48 hours' notice, allowing airlines to plan diversions rather than scramble literally on the fly as happened on Friday.
Really? That's how this will be written up. Not provocative. Just a bit wrong.
The Rotten Fishead AFR has been a significant player in the Great China Grovel, so why not?
The truth of it is this is the most direct threat to Australian sovereignty since WWII:
Immediately following the raid, the five Japanese fleet submarines that carried the midget submarines to Australia embarked on a campaign to disrupt merchant shipping in eastern Australian waters. Over the next month, the submarines attacked at least seven merchant vessels, sinking three ships and killing 50 sailors. During this period, between midnight and 02:30 on 8 June, two of the submarines bombarded the ports of Sydney and Newcastle.
The obvious message delivered to Australia this week by Beijing is that 'you are our b*tch'.
The timing of it holds another message: that 'Trump, your ally, is also our b*tch'.
The nature of the manoeuvre is more specific. By plonking a battle group in the Tasman Sea, Beijing is renaming it the 'Southern Taiwan Strait'.
To spell it out: 'Australia had better p*ss off out of the Northern Taiwan Strait'.
I hate to crow about this, but for years I have said it is coming, making common reference to Chinese gunboat diplomacy parking an aircraft carrier off Bateman's Bay while renegotiating Aussie sovereignty with the Canberra cowards.
As it happens, I was a few kilometres out.
The Chinese cruiser Zunyi can be equipped with nuclear-capable HN series cruise missiles. They are kind of slow, but they are within range of Canberra (and Sydney) from where the flotilla is parked.
Has anybody even thought to ask if these ships are nuclear-armed?
Given how hopelessly unprepared the Albanese government has left the nation, the one-hour flying time is probably quick enough to catch all of Parliament House still sitting on its fat a*** thinking of new ways to grovel to Beijing.
Let us hope the PLAN fire one.
Maybe a second missile could be lobbed at Holt Street because even The Australian is weirdly calm about it.
…Former Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo said China's latest actions were needlessly provocative.
"Saying that a live-fire exercise is consistent with international law rather misses the point," Mr Pezzullo said on Friday night.
"What is the purpose of the PLA show of force? How would China react if we were to conduct live-fire exercises in the vicinity of busy air traffic routes off the Chinese coast?"
Former Defence official Michael Shoebridge said the Chinese warships' actions underscored that "Australia's geography no longer protects our population or key infrastructure from military threats".
"We have an obvious and urgent homeland defence problem," Mr Shoebridge said.
"Investments must be made urgently in a greatly expanded, layered, air and missile defence program to protect bases and key civilian infrastructure and to have some capacity to be sited at key population centres as threats evolve."
Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie accused the government of failing to take a firm enough line with China to ensure it showed "mutual respect" for Australian forces.
Mr Marles said Mr Hastie had not even sought a briefing on the Chinese ships, accusing his counterpart of a "desperate politicisation" of the situation.
To sum up:
- Is Pezzullo joking?
- Shoebridge is right, but it's all a bit late!
- Hastie is massively underplaying it.
- Marles is sound asleep.
This is hardly new. Beijing has been using ever more bold forms of gunboat diplomacy throughout the South China Sea for two decades.
It has slowly been surrounding Australia for years with surveillance vessels.
Yet we have responded with nothing but grovelling. A brief moment of sanity before and after COVID and the 14 conditions to end democracy woke up a few China hawks who were then put back to sleep by Albo's cowards, Dutton's pivot to Chinese electorates, and a media that has its head so far up it's a**e it does not know which genitals it has.
Do we even have a naval vessel to send out to harass the flotilla? No. To monitor then? No. Or will Albo just complete the national … with another concession while Paul Keating beats off to March of the Volunteers in the background?
Beijing gunboat diplomacy learned from the best.
The First Opium War was fought from 1839 to 1842 between China and Britain. It was triggered by the Chinese government's campaign to enforce its prohibition of opium, which included destroying opium stocks owned by British merchants and the British East India Company. The British government responded by sending a naval expedition to force the Chinese government to pay reparations and allow the opium trade.
I can hardly suppress a laugh at this point. Your nation is run by the dumbest, worst, most cowardly fools in the world. A gaggle of wizened Irish cranks that got lucky with a bit of red dirt and p***ed it all away on the races.
Unsurprisingly, a nation run by this clown show is in danger of being swept away without firing a shot."
"Anthony Albanese has confirmed China has issued an alert that it would be potentially conducting live firing off eastern Australia and that he had discussed the matter with his New Zealand counterpart.
"Australia and New Zealand ships and … aircraft have been monitoring the Chinese fleet while they have been travelling down the coast of Australia, off the coast, as you would expect us to be doing," the Prime Minister said on Friday afternoon.
"I've spoken with the chief of the Defence Force, the Defence Minister, Richard Marles, the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, and I've also had contact with the New Zealand Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon,this afternoon.
"It is the case that the notice was given. When that occurs, airlines are notified and stay out of the area," Mr Albanese said.
"It's not clear whether there was any actual low fire used in this area, but it is consistent with international law. Now the Australian Foreign Minister will be meeting with the Chinese foreign minister … in coming hours, as part of the G20 foreign ministers meeting in South Africa, and at that time, Penny Wong will be making that diplomatic representation on our behalf."
He said there "has been no imminent risk of danger to any Australian assets or New Zealand assets."
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