Indonesia is the biggest economy in the South East Asian region, and our closest neighbour. It’s the tenth largest economy in terms of purchasing power in the world, yet doesn’t rank among our top ten trading partners. Yet another report is unlikely to help, Duncan Graham explains.
Source: The Moore Report on South East Asian trade unlikely to lead to more trade – Michael West
Pearl harbour was a target and the naval base destroyed 25% of the pop of Hawaii were American Japanese and they were interned. Why is Morrison and Dutton intent on making Australia the foremost target in the region?
Then, on November 29 2021, the US Defence Department announced in its global posture review that it will concentrate military activities and infrastructure in Australia and select Pacific Islands. There’s no question the US and the UK are returning to the Pacific at levels not seen since the second world war. The AUKUS agreement, initiated by the Morrison government, encapsulates the escalating tensions due to China’s troubling acts. These include its rhetorical and trade war with Australia, aggressions towards Taiwan, military expansion in the South China Sea and its deepening influence in the Pacific islands as a suspected veiled means to project its military power. Australia’s prime minister and, most recently, defence minister have conjured up the Pacific War, saying “we live in the echoes of the 1930s”, citing “mistakes” that led to the war. China has lashed back, criticising the Australian government for super-charging fears that history is repeating at a terrifying scale and pace.
Source: 80 years on, the attack on Pearl Harbour offers lessons for today
Singapore: Australian cattle farmers and abattoirs lost half a billion in exports to China in the last two years, cotton producers were down $870 million, copper exporters $1.5 billion.But the Chinese importers did not miss those products. Australia’s great Indo-Pacific ally, the United States, was happy to make up for the shortfall.The same happened with timber and coal. As Australia’s coal exports fell by $11 billion, the US added $1.8 billion to its usual load over the same period. Russia, Canada and Indonesia also sent more.Markets are unsentimental; when there is a gap they fill them. The US and Australia have made much of their united front on China’s economic coercion, but the truth is American exporters have been eating Australia’s lunch.
Doing Business with LNP Australia and “That Fella Down Under ”
Australia signed a multi-billion dollar contract to buy French submarines in 2016. The new agreement effectively ends that deal. “This is a decision contrary to the letter and the spirit of the cooperation that prevailed between France and Australia,” France’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “The American choice, which leads to the removal of an ally and a European partner like France from a longstanding partnership with Australia, at a time when we are facing unprecedented challenges in the Indo-Pacific region… marks a lack of consistency that France cannot but note and regret,” it added.
Source: US, UK and Australia agree new Asia Pacific security pact | Military News | Al Jazeera
Global export figures show which countries are handling current economic conditions well and those which aren’t. Australia is among the losers, along with Britain and the USA, writes Alan Austin.
Source: Australia’s disastrous trade decisions may take decades to repair
Australia seems hell-bent of damaging its economic security in the interests of being in the vanguard of a growing international anti-China “cabal”, writes William Briggs.
Australia, China and the weaponising of trade
Australia, with its “gas-led recovery”, corrupted political process and continuing reliance on fossil fuels for exports and energy, is moving from climate laggard to climate criminal as we head for another record warm year — possibly the warmest ever. Global sanctions in the form of tariffs on every Australian export — not just the limited range of energy-intensive products identified by the EU — to make up for our lack of action is economically justified and morally compelling.
Global tariffs the only way to end Australia’s climate criminality
Some Chinese energy providers have been told to stop importing Australian coal amidst trade tensions between our countries, writes Professor John Quiggin.
China tightens the screws on Australian coal imports
Hunting for a Knighthood? A way back? (ODT)
Labor has demanded the Morrison government explain how former prime minister Tony Abbott will manage conflicts of interest as he advises the United Kingdom on trade deals with countries including Australia. Mr Abbott confirmed his appointment as an unpaid adviser to the UK Board of Trade on Saturday morning after a firestorm of criticism over his past comments on women and gay people.
Tony Abbott: Labor questions former PM’s conflict of interest in new UK trade role
From March 2018… Nothing has changed!!
via The decline of the American empire starts with the decline of the era of American washing machines
If Australia is leading the world in export growth, then where is all this wealth ending up? As shown in multiple publications, the large foreign mining companies and other big exporters seldom pay anywhere near the tax they should. There are no other mechanisms for retaining the vast wealth in Australia. So most of the wealth gets shunted straight offshore into tax havens or to make mega-rich foreigners richer still.
via Australia the big winner from Trump’s disastrous trade wars
China can finish what the LNP alpha apes started and they can do it without bullying.(ODT)
There is no celebration in the act of 4 steps backwards which Trump initiated in the first place lying his tits off that tarriffs were an income producing policy. But then when the damage done was hurting moving 2 steps forward again to ease the pain and calling that a win.. That’s what Kim Jong un is an expert at. doing. Threatening, promising and then threatening again gaining regaining inches maybe but losing all respect the nation once had for being trusted. Republicans are doing it for themselves and not the country (ODT)
The US and China have declared an official truce in their two-year long trade war, signing a deal that will see the US reduce some tariffs and China purchase hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American goods and services.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed the “phase one” agreement at a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday morning (Thursday morning Australian time).
India was once the production house for 37% of the global economy the British no, a Capitalist invention Multinational Corporation the East India Company put an end to that and reduced them to 3%. The company owned Britain, the West Indies, and a Colonial Empire as well. Trading textiles, spices, tea drugs and slaves out of tax free ports. It destroyed the worlds biggest textile industry which at the time was India. It then whitewashed the history of the Colonial Empire (ODT)
His country already has a $60 billion trade deficit with China and there are concerns lowering tariffs, and allowing the flow of cheap Chinese products into India, would further increase that deficit.
olddogthoughts 
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