Has the AUKUS Alliance Backfired?

When Australia, the UK and the US came together to form the AUKUS alliance in September, they never explicitly mentioned Beijing- though it was pretty clear a main objective of the pact was to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific. But, seven months later, there's huge concern after China and the Solomon Islands signed a security pact, and Canberra is concerned.

John Blaxland
International Security Professor at the Australian National University

Victor Gao
Soochow University Chair Professor

Patricia O’Brien
Asian Studies Program Professor at Georgetown University

[ThoughtsPlural]

Peace to Professor Gao, the only member of this panel making any sense.

[hjs]

The guy from Brisbane simply makes accusations without evidence.

[mariomastadon]

In the eye's of the west this reaction over islands that are 2000 miles away is justified, however Russia's reaction(pre-Ukraine invasion) to NATO encroaching on the Russian border was unjustified.

[Mon-gzvq]

Aussie Guy is too arrogant and still stuck in his colonial past- the Solomon island don’t need to bow down to Australia in anyway

[hjs]

Based on shortcomings Australia did according to John and Patricia, should Australia acknowledge then that perhaps Sololmon Island is not happy with Australia now and that is the reason to look for other partners?

[FOLIPE]

Would be good to have invited someone from the Solomon Islands.

[XdinaryAlice]

That Solomon Islands and Australia speak the same language part made me laugh. Like, so???

[farshidbazyar]

John is totally wrong. Just bcoz Australia has already 100years of military relationship with UK and US does not mean they can keep improving it and buying Nuclear submarine and no one else can improve any military relationship with China or Solomon Island🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ Solomon Island wants to start a military relationship with China or whoever else they want to and after 100 years then will be able to say we have had 100years of military relationship with another country🤷🏻‍♂️
Its just like you have a gun and telling others not to buy one but you keep buying guns and saying I already have one so its not important if I buy some more🤷🏻‍♂️

[hjs]

John seems to try to address all concerns between Australia and China in this discussion, whether they are related to Solomon Island or not.

[edwingan]

What you get when you instigate riots in your neighbour, naturally

[GS-rblq]

Nice to come across this interesting format of Turkish Television by accident. Quite refreshing. Greetings from Germany.

[untitled]

The guy from China needs to calm the rhetoric

[andrewlambert]

I THOUGHT THEY HAD INVITED SOLOMAN ISLANDS INTO THE AUKUS ALLIANCE.

[igor-ypxv]

The Australia guy's points smell of colonialism. I think many of his criticisms are valid, of course, but he takes a wrong direction overall

[drjm]

Should have invited a Solomon Isle representative but Interesting to see the clash of cultures.
China negotiates with money and Western countries negotiates with weapons.
US sells 170 billion nuke subs to Australia to fight their number 1 trading partner and China counters by buying Salomon Island and reducing trade with Australia.
Meanwhile US will take up the trading slack given up by Australia.

[manicho]

while busy shutting down their own cities, inbetweens the ccp trying very hard to enlist pliable countries & peoples with 💰/yuan, latest addition solomon islands. if not, fund agitations like in maldives, sri lanka etc.