Australians are strongly opposed to any involvement in an armed conflict between China and Japan even if the US was backing Japan and the US president personally requested Australian support, a new poll has found.
The poll, commissioned by the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), found 71% thought Australia should remain neutral in any armed conflict over disputed islands and maritime territory in the East China Sea, and 68% thought Australia should still say no if the president rang the prime minister asking for assistance.
The territorial dispute over the islands is a regional flashpoint and an earlier ACRI report set out several “plausible” scenarios which could lead to a conflict between Australia’s two largest trading partners.
Can’t say I really blame them, especially as the United States has been something of a feckless ally the last six years.
If the PRC can intimidate the Japanese or Taiwan and Oz stands isolated, who will aid them when their time comes? I believe we will see the spread of nuclear weapons throughout North Asia in the next ten years.