BACK IN THE ARCHIVES....2018 CCP ANTARCTIC THREAT - Are we awake yet? INVASION BY INFILTRATION
As Australia looks north, China‘s presence in the Antarctic continues to grow
WHILE Australia is distracted, a major threat is slowly creeping up behind us. The trouble is, we’re in no rush to do anything about it.
Gavin
[email protected] SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
A major threat is slowly creeping up behind us. The trouble is, we’re in no rush to do anything about it. .Source:News Corp Australia
A COLD war is slowly unfolding on Australia’s doorstep.
Yes, literally — we’re talking about a battle building over the future of the icy Antarctic.
As Australia scans for potential conflicts to our north, a separate threat is looming in the region just south of Tasmania.
So why aren’t we tackling it head-on?
CHINA’S EXPANDING INFLUENCE IN THE ANTARCTIC
For a long time, China has been eyeing the Australian Antarctic Territory — a large portion of the Antarctic that by Canberra’s definition belongs to us.
In 1951, Australia and a bunch of other countries signed a document called the Antarctic Treaty System. The Treaty recognised the sovereignty claims of Australia.
Australia claimed six million square kilometres of the icy continent — around 42 per cent of its total land.
However, this is not internationally recognised. A number of other countries — most notably including China — weren’t signatories to this treaty, and they don’t recognise Australia’s claims.
Over the past decade, China has slowly been expanding its reach in Antarctica by creating networks of stations in Australia-claimed territory.
As Australia scans for potential conflicts to our north, a separate threat is looming in the Antarctic region.
WHY IS CHINA SO INTERESTED IN THIS REGION?
Adam Lockyer, a security expert at Macquarie University and author of Australia’s Defence Strategy: Evaluating Alternatives for a Contested Asia, told news.com.au there are several reasons for China’s interest in the region.
For one thing, it’s part of their broader strategy for global domination. The rising superpower is increasing its presence everywhere, from South America to the South Pacific.
Similar to its pursuits in the South China Sea, China is seeking to increase its influence, but fall just short of sparking an actual military conflict with the United States and its allies.
China says its outposts on the Antarctic region are purely for scientific purposes. But they could also potentially be used to aid the country militarily.
“Beijing can make legitimate claims that the installations and outposts on the Antarctic are for scientific purposes, and you can’t argue with that,” Dr Lockyer explained. “The fear is that have a dual use, and that is that they can be used in a confrontation with the US.”
But also, the region could prove hugely lucrative, holding large deposits of natural resources.
Anne-Marie Brady, a global fellow at the Wilson Centre and specialist in Chinese and Pacific politics, has warned a new space-based arms race is under way in the Antarctic between the US, Russia and China.
“The installation of satellite earth stations by the US and now Russia and China is a game changer in terms of the military importance of the continent,” she wrote in The Australian today.
“The US, Russia, and China’s use of their Antarctic ground stations to control offensive weapons systems and relay signals intelligence — all while conducting legitimate scientific activity — has the potential to shift the strategic balance that has maintained peace in the Asia-Pacific for nearly 70 years.
“In a time of conflict, if the US denied others access to GPS, China and Russia could employ BeiDou and GLONASS to guide strike weapons.”
China and Russia currently rely on GPS, but these host satellites are all controlled by the US. This means that, in the event of a conflict, America’s first tactic would be to switch these all off, leaving China blind and lost.
This is why China and Russia are working to build their own network of navigation satellites.
Read on...
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/as-australia-looks-north-chinas-presence-in-the-antarctic-continues-to-grow/news-story/d93aa030c6846e5bfe98f6fdc12f93c9 BACK IN THE ARCHIVES....2018 CCP ANTARCTIC THREAT - Are we awake yet? INVASION BY INFILTRATION
As Australia looks north, China‘s presence in the Antarctic continues to grow
WHILE Australia is distracted, a major threat is slowly creeping up behind us. The trouble is, we’re in no rush to do anything about it.
Gavin
[email protected] SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
A major threat is slowly creeping up behind us. The trouble is, we’re in no rush to do anything about it. .Source:News Corp Australia
A COLD war is slowly unfolding on Australia’s doorstep.
Yes, literally — we’re talking about a battle building over the future of the icy Antarctic.
As Australia scans for potential conflicts to our north, a separate threat is looming in the region just south of Tasmania.
So why aren’t we tackling it head-on?
CHINA’S EXPANDING INFLUENCE IN THE ANTARCTIC
For a long time, China has been eyeing the Australian Antarctic Territory — a large portion of the Antarctic that by Canberra’s definition belongs to us.
In 1951, Australia and a bunch of other countries signed a document called the Antarctic Treaty System. The Treaty recognised the sovereignty claims of Australia.
Australia claimed six million square kilometres of the icy continent — around 42 per cent of its total land.
However, this is not internationally recognised. A number of other countries — most notably including China — weren’t signatories to this treaty, and they don’t recognise Australia’s claims.
Over the past decade, China has slowly been expanding its reach in Antarctica by creating networks of stations in Australia-claimed territory.
As Australia scans for potential conflicts to our north, a separate threat is looming in the Antarctic region.
WHY IS CHINA SO INTERESTED IN THIS REGION?
Adam Lockyer, a security expert at Macquarie University and author of Australia’s Defence Strategy: Evaluating Alternatives for a Contested Asia, told news.com.au there are several reasons for China’s interest in the region.
For one thing, it’s part of their broader strategy for global domination. The rising superpower is increasing its presence everywhere, from South America to the South Pacific.
Similar to its pursuits in the South China Sea, China is seeking to increase its influence, but fall just short of sparking an actual military conflict with the United States and its allies.
China says its outposts on the Antarctic region are purely for scientific purposes. But they could also potentially be used to aid the country militarily.
“Beijing can make legitimate claims that the installations and outposts on the Antarctic are for scientific purposes, and you can’t argue with that,” Dr Lockyer explained. “The fear is that have a dual use, and that is that they can be used in a confrontation with the US.”
But also, the region could prove hugely lucrative, holding large deposits of natural resources.
Anne-Marie Brady, a global fellow at the Wilson Centre and specialist in Chinese and Pacific politics, has warned a new space-based arms race is under way in the Antarctic between the US, Russia and China.
“The installation of satellite earth stations by the US and now Russia and China is a game changer in terms of the military importance of the continent,” she wrote in The Australian today.
“The US, Russia, and China’s use of their Antarctic ground stations to control offensive weapons systems and relay signals intelligence — all while conducting legitimate scientific activity — has the potential to shift the strategic balance that has maintained peace in the Asia-Pacific for nearly 70 years.
“In a time of conflict, if the US denied others access to GPS, China and Russia could employ BeiDou and GLONASS to guide strike weapons.”
China and Russia currently rely on GPS, but these host satellites are all controlled by the US. This means that, in the event of a conflict, America’s first tactic would be to switch these all off, leaving China blind and lost.
This is why China and Russia are working to build their own network of navigation satellites.
Read on...
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/as-australia-looks-north-chinas-presence-in-the-antarctic-continues-to-grow/news-story/d93aa030c6846e5bfe98f6fdc12f93c9
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