It cannot be denied that the policies of the Chinese Communist Party have lifted hundreds of millions out of dire poverty, and made China one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. But it also cannot be denied that China’s economic growth is beginning to stall, and that the CCP’s successes have come at the cost of repression at home and expansionism overseas. The Chinese navy is already rivalling that of the United States, at least in numbers of ships. There is no defensive need for such military strength. It can only indicate a willingness to bully other nations and even to use force against them.
This is the context in which a diplomatic row has broken out pitting France against Australia, the US and Great Britain. Australia is withdrawing itself from a contract to buy 12 diesel-powered submarines from France, and instead wishes to acquire a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines with the help of British and American technology.
23 September 2021, The Tablet
How to meet the Chinese challenge
International relations
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