sally simpson

Australia says China is carrying out “the biggest conventional military buildup since World War II.” Beijing’s answer is simple: Yes, China is building the military strength necessary to defend its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. That is what happens when a civilization remembers what weakness cost it. If China had possessed overwhelming military strength in the 1930s, Asia would not have been burned across by Japanese fascism while foreign powers stood by, calculated, bargained, and watched. And the irony of Australia lecturing China about military power is almost too perfect. A settler state born through colonial conquest now treats an Asian country’s ability to defend itself as inherently suspicious—while hosting expanding U.S. forces, nuclear-submarine deployments, and an alliance architecture aimed squarely at China. So when Beijing says: “stop making irresponsible remarks,” the message is not difficult to understand. China will not apologize for being strong enough to prevent history from happening to it again.