While they have been given the designation ‘destroyer’, Australia’s new dedicated air warfare vessels have the lesser firepower of frigates. Picture: ADFSource:Supplied
儘管它們被指定為“驅逐艦”，但澳大利亞的新型專用空戰艦的護衛艦火力較小。 圖片：ADF來源：提供
A Chinese close-in weapons system (CIWS) designed to shoot down incoming missiles during recent war games. China may hold the advantage with its suite of fast, stealthy and long ranged missiles. Picture: eng.chinamil.com.cn/PLASource:Supplied
中國的近戰武器系統（CIWS），旨在在最近的戰爭中擊落進來的導彈。 中國可能會憑藉其快速，隱身和遠程導彈套件來保持優勢。 圖片：eng.chinamil.com.cn/PLA來源：提供
China has been training for conflict for some time. Picture: eng.chinamil.com.cn/PLASource:Supplied
中國已經為衝突訓練了一段時間。 圖片：eng.chinamil.com.cn/PLA來源：提供
This means any idea of sustained operations within the Pacific-spanning reach of China’s ballistic and cruise missiles is likely optimistic. And that makes the kind of island-hopping campaign used by the US to take back the Pacific from Japan in World War II no longer feasible.
這意味著任何在中國彈道導彈和巡航導彈跨太平洋範圍內持續作戰的想法都可能是樂觀的。 這就使得美國在第二次世界大戰中從日本手中奪回太平洋的那種繞島運動不再可行。
John Howard, who became Australia's prime minister in 1996, supported U.S. moves in the Taiwan Strait around that time. He also met with the Dalai Lama and canceled an import financing program of which China was one of the main beneficiaries. But while Howard's relationship with Beijing got off to a rocky start, it improved after he met face to face with China's then-President Jiang Zemin.
Their meeting was hailed as the beginning of a new economic "strategic partnership" built on pragmatism and mutual benefits. The result? China is now Australia's No. 1 trading partner by far, accounting for 39% of exports and 27% of imports in 2019-20, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Howard's promise, however, began to crack in 2011, a few years after he left office. U.S. President Barack Obama emphasized his pivot to Asia on the floor of the Australian parliament. "I have directed my national security team to make our presence and mission in the Asia Pacific a top priority," he said. Obama's successor, Donald Trump, would later label China a "strategic competitor."
Canberra itself became increasingly vocal about Beijing's more aggressive policy in the South China Sea and alleged attempts to meddle in Australian political affairs. Following the resignation of an Australian senator embroiled in a political donations scandal involving a wealthy Chinese businessman, Australia passed foreign interference legislation in 2017 -- seen as an effort to counter Chinese influence.
