The imperialist countries are hellbent on increasing military aggression and hostility in Asia. Addressing the Australian parliament in 2011, President Obama was frank when he said, “after a decade in which we fought two wars that cost us dearly, in blood and treasure, the United States is turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia Pacific region”.

Since then, rich countries like Australia and the US have massively escalated their aggressive hostility towards China. This shift culminated in AUKUS – a military alliance between Australia, the UK and the US, announced in September 2021. A hallmark of this deal is for Australia to acquire a fleet of nuclear-propelled submarines costing at least A$386 billion over the next 30 years.

To put this ludicrous amount of money into perspective, for $386 billion the Australian government could build 1,404,580 public housing units – around ten times the current waiting list. Each taxpayer in Australia will also have to pay $25,000.

The point of having nuclear-propelled, as opposed to conventional diesel submarines, is that they have far greater range and can therefore be used in a future war of aggression against China (or any other country). Diesel submarines do not have such range or aggressive capacity.

Meanwhile, the Australian media tells us day-after-day that China is the aggressor and our common enemy. Yet China has neither the military capability, intention, or reason to invade Australia (or the United States or UK)! The stupidity and dishonesty of pretending that China threatens Australia was recently called out by former ALP Prime Minister Paul Keating at the national press club.

As a result, the Federal defence minister Richard Marles has been forced to justify the government’s nuclear submarine ambitions on the grounds that Australia wishes to defend the human rights of people in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and to defend the sea lanes where Australian exports and imports are shipped.

Australia has been involved in various foreign invasions in recent decades – Afghanistan, Iraq (twice), and Vietnam. These have all resulted in humanitarian catastrophes. To believe the Australian state seeks nuclear-propulsion technology to defend human rights abroad one would have to be highly sycophantic and racist.

Similarly, the idea that China would or could close the sea lanes to China is obviously absurd. Australian has a virtual monopoly on iron ore exports in Asia. Without it, the Chinese economy would crumble.

The ALP federal government resorts to these unreal talking points because in truth it is Australia, not China, that is the aggressor.

The Australian ruling class is trying to take us down a path that could easily lead to war. If the US and its allies were to start a war with China, millions of ordinary people will suffer and there is a real chance it would escalate to nuclear war. The AUKUS deal needs to be stopped now and we must continue to oppose Australia’s aggressive containment against China.

To get involved in the Australian Anti-AUKUS Coalition (AAAC), email: nationalantiaukuscoalition@gmail.com 

To get involved with Red Ant, email: redant.communication@gmail.com

Download the anti-AUKUS flyer and poster below: