This is coolbert:
Also from that American Thinker article the mention of a poll as taken of Australian citizens, the purpose of which was to determine the attitudes of an American ally to the possibility of conflict in the East China Sea or the Spratly Islands for that matter.
A poll as conducted by a group described as a "Chinese front organization", six questions asked:
"Australian Attitudes on ANZUS and the East China Sea"
Q1 - - "China and Japan are in dispute about the ownership of five islands in the East China Sea. The Chinese call them the Diaoyu islands, the Japanese call them the Senkaku islands. Are you aware of this dispute between China and Japan?"
Q2 - - "Are you aware that the United States of American has made a commitment to militarily support Japan if Japan and China came into armed conflict over the islands?"
Q3 - - "If armed conflict broke out between Japan, the USA and China over the islands should Australia:"
Q 4 - - "Australia has a security treaty with the USA called ANZUS. Do you think the ANZUS treaty means we have to take sides and support Japan in a conflict with China over these islands?"
Q5 - - "In the event of a war over the islands, if the American President rang the Australian Prime Minister to ask Australia to join the Japanese and Americans, what should he say?"
Q6 - - "If there were a conflict between China and Japan, and Australia supported Japan in conjunction with the USA, do you think the value of Australia's trade with China would fall?"
Devoted readers to the blog will have to access the polling data to find the responses to these questions in both the general specific categories.
ADDITIONALLY THAT QUESTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED: "DOES THE AUSTRALIAN GENERAL PUBLIC KNOW AND UNDERSTAND AT THIS VERY MOMENT AND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME NOW THE UNITED STATES HAS STATIONED AT DARWIN, AUSTRALIAN TERRITORY A MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE POISED AND READY FOR DEPLOYMENT AND COMBAT ANYWHERE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, THE SPRATLY ISLAND AND THE EAST CHINA SEA."
Australian devoted readers to the blog and those Australians merely perusing even if only for a single time let me hear from you on this one!!
coolbert.
As an Australian here are my answers:
ReplyDeleteQ1 - - "China and Japan are in dispute about the ownership of five islands in the East China Sea. The Chinese call them the Diaoyu islands, the Japanese call them the Senkaku islands. Are you aware of this dispute between China and Japan?"
Yes
Q2 - - "Are you aware that the United States of American has made a commitment to militarily support Japan if Japan and China came into armed conflict over the islands?"
Yes
Q3 - - "If armed conflict broke out between Japan, the USA and China over the islands should Australia:"
Should Australia what?
Q 4 - - "Australia has a security treaty with the USA called ANZUS. Do you think the ANZUS treaty means we have to take sides and support Japan in a conflict with China over these islands?"
Yes
Q5 - - "In the event of a war over the islands, if the American President rang the Australian Prime Minister to ask Australia to join the Japanese and Americans, what should he say?"
That we support the United States, even if it means war.
Q6 - - "If there were a conflict between China and Japan, and Australia supported Japan in conjunction with the USA, do you think the value of Australia's trade with China would fall?"
I cannot see how it wouldn't fall.
ADDITIONALLY THAT QUESTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED: "DOES THE AUSTRALIAN GENERAL PUBLIC KNOW AND UNDERSTAND AT THIS VERY MOMENT AND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME NOW THE UNITED STATES HAS STATIONED AT DARWIN, AUSTRALIAN TERRITORY A MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE POISED AND READY FOR DEPLOYMENT AND COMBAT ANYWHERE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, THE SPRATLY ISLAND AND THE EAST CHINA SEA."
As I understand it US Marines (primarily) pass through the Darwin training areas, but they are not based permanently in Australia.
Mark Moncrieff
Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future