Australia weathered an economic coercion campaign China unleashed upon it in 2020, coming away more determined to harden its society against foreign interference. Its leaders have largely abandoned the pleasant illusion of not having to choose between America and China, in recognition that the alternative to aligning with Washington is subordination to Beijing. Australia is now engaged in its biggest defense overhaul in generations, expanding northern bases to better accommodate U.S. ships and aircraft, investing in long-range conventional missiles, and fighting Chinese influence in the
...more
