With one phone call, the war against Ukraine could be ended and the missiles stopped from hitting children’s hospitals.
And, contrary to his claims, the call would certainly not be from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin.
Rather, it’s from the one man who truly controls Russia’s fate, including its ongoing illegal invasion of its peaceful neighbour. That entity is communist China’s dictatorial ruler, Xi Jinping.
If Xi turns off the life support system, Russia’s war-mongering dies. Only Xi has leverage over Putin and his murderous mix of mafia interests and Czarist fantasies.
Indeed, since the start of the full-scale invasion in early 2022, Russia has basically been made over as a vassal of China – and, beyond the war on Ukraine, that’s something that should worry Australia’s leaders.
The facts are these. As Russia’s economy has sunk due to Western sanctions and China has given the Kremlin its only lifeline.
Beijing’s overall exports to Moscow have risen by more than 60 per cent during the full-scale war and China is now the largest supplier of goods to Russia. It is also about to become the biggest buyer of Russia’s banned gas – at a whopping 30 per cent discount.
Significantly, a key part of China’s exports to Russia is the internationally-banned parts and components that Russia needs to keep its military going.
Independent monitors have conservatively confirmed that the number of vehicles, aircraft, naval vessels, and weapons systems lost by Russian forces is now north of 15,000, including nearly 3000 tanks, 135 helicopters, 106 aircraft, 20 naval ships, and one submarine.
To deal with the devastation of its conventional arms, Russia is importing between $450 million and $900 million of Chinese equipment for Russian missiles and drones every month. Mostly ‘under the table’ to avoid sanctions scrutiny, that equipment includes microelectronics, semiconductors, machine tools, telecommunications gear, radars, optical devices, sensors and more. Russia’s reliance on China for such products went from 32 per cent (of global share) in 2021 to 89 per cent in 2023.
Without this equipment, Russia cannot make the weapons for waging a savage war where nearly 15,000 missiles and guided bombs – or more than 80 per day – have been fired at Ukraine’s cities and civilians since Christmas. This week, new depths of depravity were reached with the attack on Kyiv’s largest children’s hospital.
Grotesquely, it’s China that is cashing in on Russia killing Ukrainians.
It was hard, therefore, to recently watch our leaders literally bow to Chinese emissaries bearing pandas and promising to buy more lobsters.
While it’s not surprising that profits might come before principle for some in the political establishment, it is actually surprising that we seem to be turning a blind eye to the risk of the growing ‘Authoritarian Alliance’ – including its whacko junior partner in North Korea – for our region, our security, and our democratic values.
Sure, they might like our wine and iron ore, but it’s frightening that we have apparently forgotten that these people do not like or respect what we believe in or how we live. Indeed, it’s naïve and risky to pretend otherwise.
We need more courage and less kowtowing. (At the individual level, we’re dead-set suckers when we buy the cheap Chinese cars and EVs intentionally flooding our auto allies.)
In light of the rise of those who prefer dictatorship over democracy, you would think we would be raising the alarm. Rather, we might be sleeping through it, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is not attending next week’s Nato Summit despite the apparent urging of our allies.
As one analyst put it, ‘From Beijing’s perspective, the Ukraine war has helped divert Western resources and attention away from the Indo-Pacific.’
Truly if, with China’s massive help, Russia can get away with it in Ukraine, there’s little to stop Beijing from believing it can get away with not only Taiwan but the Pacific and the Philippines – and those are horrendous scenarios for Australia.
Imagine what else is happening in the South China Sea besides the occasional video of Chinese seaman bullying Filipino seamen on the high seas.
So, following the State dinners and ceremonial sucking-up, it’s time to get sober for own sake.
China has become the majority owner of Russia’s economy and that has deadly results for Ukraine. That is huge sign about what else to expect from Xi and the absolute need for Australia to be valiant and vigilant for its values and its mates like Ukraine.
