Dear Editor – Interesting to note this piece of information in such a time as this.
The Western world led by the USA and her allies including Australia are under tremendous pressure at the moment from China and Russia and the Islamist world.
China and Russia, because they are eventually closing the technology gap, whilst the Muslim world with extremists (a term they coined) turned terrorists.
They are suspicious of everyone whom they believe to work for these nations or believe to be colluding with these countries.
It____s an old spy “playbook rule” that makes everyone an enemy.
Solomon Islands should play the rule of a “friend to all and an enemy to none.”
I believe this is a direct attack on China____s new silk road called the “one belt one road” initiative.
This is an initiative led by China to restore some of the old trade routes of centuries past and is instigating an infrastructure building boom across Central Asia up to Europe to help boost trade and improve transport logistics.
?The belt are the roads and railway lines that would connect Asia, Europe, Africa ?and back to Asia.
The countries not connected to these belts are connected to the road, a connection of sea ports on every continents and island states including us.
This would increase trade and an open market so espoused by the West as globalization.
It is interesting, because in the last half century, the West has been urging China to open up its market and to join the globalization effort.
Now that China has joined in and it seems is taking a leading role, the West has shied away and starts attacking China with a lot of suspicions.
America, the West____s leader, reverts to protectionism, the very attitude they have been blaming China for far too long.
What Hypocrisy, this is!
I believe the West have never thought of the time when China would grow out of poverty and progress.
Australia____s Northern Territory has already benefited from a Chinese seaport (Landbridge) in Darwin, managed by Australia____s former trade minister Mr. Andrew Robb.
Australia signed and joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank not long ago.
So why turn around and backbite China again?
They have exported more iron ore, coal and liquefied natural gas to China than any other country in the world.
I believe, as America____s little brother around our corner, they need to do this in order to appease USA____s dissatisfaction with China____s influence around this neighbourhood.
The question of spying is only a smokescreen to hide this disagreement with China____s powerful influence around the world now.
Chinese products, especially Huawei products are banned from being sold in the USA. Even Chinese technology companies applying to open businesses in the USA are finding it difficult to get quick approval with a lot of restrictions in place.
On the other hand, apple and other US products are sold in China effortlessly.
Therefore, President Trump____s “Let____s Make America Great Again” protectionism attitude is a response to feeling of insecurity in areas they once dominate, but are now taken over by China and Russia.
The question we may need to ask is who is spying on who?
America and her allies including Australia are the ones spying on everybody around the globe.
Thus, when you feel that your are being watched and your privacy is invaded, the natural reaction is what Nick Warner is giving here.
It is childish and does not benefit any single human life here in the Solomon Islands.
Whilst Australia is benefiting from the billions of dollars China is paying them for their raw materials, they in turn deny us the benefit from the same source.
Once again, what hypocrisy this is!
If Australia feels that China is spying on them, then bad luck, you shouldn____t have done it to them at the first place.
This is purely a commercial undertaking, and so I believe such politicking should be left out of it.
Ma Iumi duim samfala samting fo iumi seleva nao oloketa ae! Fo wanem poko nose kam moa ia!
This scene is bringing out Neo-colonialism which is being experienced by us and other least-developed countries around the world.
Especially true are countries that once were colonized by the past empirical powers like us, under the British.
Historians describe this as the continuous application of existing and past international economic arrangements with their former colonies in order to perpetuate their control.
The only response former colonies would do in order to survive as sovereign states would be to form regional alliances.
This is evident in the many regional organizations we are part of in the region such SPC, SPF, SPBEC, FFA, etc, etc., to try and counter this new form of colonization.
Therefore, when one looks at this instance, Australia is pressurizing us (I____d like to call it bullying us) in order to give in for their own interests.
They exactly plan to implement the above scenario by applying economic pressure through closing our airline____s landing rights in Sydney.
I____d say at this juncture that we look north, or have a policy directing us that way.
China being a developing country is willing to lift Pacific island nations from where they are today.
We must act quickly and forget about these traditional development partners as they are the Neo-colonizers of this twenty-first century.
Think outside the box leaders, and free ourselves from these bullies who have nothing to offer us except bombard us with aid, which means repaying money till you go to the grave with no tangible development on the ground.
We need leaders with guts right now, who can say in their faces, small though we are, we are a sovereign nation. We need to decide our own destiny, decide who to do business and be friends with, or whoever wants to assist us.
Be gone with those bygone mentality of spying and suspicion.
The Western world did it a lot and now are beginning to reap what they have sown. Thus, don____t point fingers and stop passing the buck around as we know nothing about spying and all sorts of things like that.
We are only interested in developing our country so as to help raise ourselves out of this quagmire of poverty.
We only want genuine investors who as Chinese President Xi Jinping said is a fifty – fifty or a win win situation.
If there are direct threats to Solomon Islands, then let it be known to all the citizens of this nation.
All the other matters are something for Australia and China to deal with, not Solomon Islands.
Sorry for being too vocal, but as a concerned citizen, we all should speak our minds on this issue.
Jackson Ray
Fulton College
Nadi, Fiji Islands
