So the Australians have decided that they are going in to rescue a few rusty ships in the South China Sea and did a lovely pirouette with their allies: Japan and the US of A.

It also came alongside convenient reports that the Catho’s of East Asia - the Spanish led Philipino’s - had actually been sending over a million people to be educated in China. 

This is not actually even remotely a story as this happen all the time, half of Africa also being educated in China and even those pesky rich well educated analysts for large financial firms also spending time in China despite the rhetoric of the US government. 

Imagine. 

Biz people hoping to make money off China despite a chip imbroglio, Western cammo in all sorts of different places and BRICS summits still taking place. 

Do you know what BRICS is? 

Don’t matter. Nothing you need to know about. Just a whole heap of people with large populations that may or may not love the West. 

Yes, India, we see you. 

The Chinese did build a very large building for the OAU so the idea that it might be a tad unusual for Philo Cammos being trained in China while everyone waits to see if shite hits the fan in the Pacific is just another quibbling annoyance, sort of like the array of distraction tools available to distract you from making money and generally understanding who is doing what deal where and how to make gold from the process.

The Australian NAVY does not have that problem. 

It builds ships for the Americans that look like little origami Japanese flutes of peace. 

Anyone want to explain again the array of legal terms to describe what ship can sail where? 

No. 

Why bother? 

It only constitutes the difference between global fracas and legally determined borders. 

Who would care? 

‘I am taking this island.’

‘No you can’t!’

‘Yes I can. I can build things on it too.’

Sure to end well. 

Anyone for a lawyer? 

There are only millions of them appraising this very issue.

MUSIC  

In case you didn’t know, Guam Airspace is to be the most defended on Earth, according to a breathtaking report that gives us lots of outdoor dunnies 

‘The U.S. Army is planning to provide Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile systems, Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, Typhon Mid-Range Capability systems (which can fire SM-6 multi-purpose missiles, as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles), and Enduring Shield Indirect Fire Protection Systems, to provide lower layers of air and missile defense coverage.’

You can check out the map here: which is real good in case the Chinese were wonderin’ where they should focus and stuff. 

Naturally, I will not bring up the wild notion that information warfare involves disinformation, because that would be bad and possibly true, and we would have to discuss which bit is true and which bit is not true according to the historical record. 

Guam’s Airspace Set To Be Most Defended On Earth In New Plans

Anyway, the maps sure look good and one day, you might even get to Guam if they let you. 

Nah, fuck it. 

I’m surfing in Micronesia. 

MUSIC 

There are a few other things, namely Australia headed over to the Philippines.

A few rocks over there that have cause a bit of a Sitch At Hand. 

Big boats, Canberra are on the way. 

Sings 

The Love Boat 

I love seeing here who has supported the Tribunal Ruling.

Montenegro has not. 

Does anyone in the Balkans have an update here for me? 

https://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-chinese-highway-debt-controversy/32380787.html

Oh a thermal plant and a highway. 

My golly. 

 That’s certainly interesting. 

https://amti.csis.org/arbitration-support-tracker/

Montenegro, Taiwan and Vanuatu are not part of that tribunal support. 

That needs clarification. No? 

Ah, thanks for the feedback. 

Brilliant. 

MUSIC 

I am headed in the rocks, continental shelf etc direction because let’s face it. 

How does any maritime law apply to our Five Star Steamers, The Subs? 

Care of Murdoch Land. South Australia.

Where red dirt and media moguls converge. 

It would be really good to know the bit where your tinny is not going to get stuck and also, which bit violates a law.

Naturally, like all good things regarding the State, grey lines are everywhere. 

I am serious Katey, it seems a little complicated. 

Oh Katey is no longer our head of naval engineering, that is Rachel Durbin. 

But Katey will still be referred to as it creates endless confusion and thus an excellent example of warfare disinformation. 

So I bet they have a medal waiting for me at Kingston. 

‘Excellence at Work.’ 

That’s what they call me. 

MUSIC 

Now I do think I would like to know precisely because, well there are things called International Courts. 

And they should attempt to uphold the strange notion there are laws. 

Strangely, the international courts in the Western Balkan dealio did not take kindly to Milosevic who by the way, presided over the break up of the former Yugoslavia. 

He just had some help via the Yanks, a little thing called a war and Kosovo. 

Libya is also another excellent example. 

These are internationally known as ‘crises’ and depending on which Eastern European country you dislike the most, allow you to wander in with a big arse international contingent and change the game. 

In Russia this is known as Gorbachev. 

It is real popular. Sort of like Yeltsin vodka. 

Back to international law, rocks and the Philippines. 

Do you want to me to fill you in on the bit we are quietly circumventing or the bit that the Chinese are circumventing? 

Good morning Australia. 

Your favourite mongrel is on it. 

MUSIC 

Brangus: Where is she? 

M: Don’t tell him I am here. I’m undercover. 

Brangus: Moral? 

M: yells I’m not here mutters I love the smell of cheap aftershave in the morning. 

Sniffs 

50-25 times 14 days don’t look. Avert your eyes. That would be how many babies with big muscles? 

Can I lift off with a magnetic stripe? 

I’m just watching! I won’t touch anything mutters during the daytime. 

B: ‘You are meant to be mustering Moral!’

M: ‘I am. It’s smoko!’

They are helping me understand the law of aerodynamics. 

We’re at Lesson One. 

MUSIC  

So there is this brilliant diagram that tries to help you out with the rocks and shelf and all the things you should care about when dealing with rocks in the South China Sea. 

https://sites.tufts.edu/lawofthesea/chapter-two/

Don Rothwell, a man known to speak on such things, told me that there was the issue of rocks v islands as well as the issue of low tide reefs and what is a reef and what is not. 

This is not to be confused with the fishermen, maritime militia or barges being tied together to help make a claim, or even firing water cannon’s over another countries ship, a sure sign that everyone is willing to calm the situation down. 

I will not discuss the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS again lest we again attempt to work out who has broken what low.

(America doesn’t have to be a part of it. Do not explain.) 

Needless to say, if this situation is not dealt with via mediation and all the parties, you can be sure the word ‘powderkeg’ will be dredged up like a gas lamp in the night while the rest of us are using LED.

No matter. 

Chapter 2: Maritime Zones – Law of the Sea

MUSIC 

Remember: when in doubt, read your child a book on green or blue hydrogen. 

Bowen has an electrolyser. 

This is sort of like an electric car, but my bet is that they need it for all sorts of interesting things that the I CAN generation simply cannot find the time to talk about lest it get in the way of Insta and their photo shoot. 

Bowen sets 1,000MW electrolyser target as hydrogen strategy gets revamp

Gosh, such bravery. 

MUSIC 

Just in case you don’t know, the ADF are building a bridge or a ramp of sorts. 

QLD. 

I have no idea really what that is, but you know I would just ignore it. 

As you know, we just had a million exercises with the Indian and Japanese Navy. 

Let me see, what could it be for. 

Ah, building up the economy of China via Landbridge in Darwin. 

No? Illogical? 

OK 

Talisman Sabre is about Wands and Harry Potter. 

No?

OK.

Well, a lovely little Army engineer who I need to know, Bilts, cause he/she can build SHITE  may be able to tell me the dealio.

As I said, we and Perry have sailed for the country that like India, benefits from democratic organisation. And US largesse. 

You know, like the Germans, the Chinese like a bit of order if you are dealing with billions of people. 

I could be wrong, I could be right. 

However they are big ships. 

Canberra is amongst them. 

Small islands. 

No doubt there is a wealth of surveillance and little buoys bobbin’ around givin’ us real time info about who is doing what. 

One day we will see it but not now. 

People who are trained in the art of recognising a blip on a radar are doing the important crap for those of you loungin’ at home. 

I am not loungin’ at home PaddlePop but slightly worried about how Commando Chaos is going to report on what she knows to be important. 

And Cyclone Hillary is bearing down because she is eager to run the country. 

It is only the truth. 

 Never mind. 

What’s 200 years between the top job and the top dog? 

Katie, we need to chat. 

MUSIC 

I thought it might be nice to mention the Antarctic again. 

There is a Treaty - and a lovely one if you want to look at original documents 

https://www.ats.aq/e/antarctictreaty.html

Let’s start with Article One: 

The Antarctic should be used for peaceful purposes. 

That’s enough of that. 

You get the idea. 

The Chinese have built their fifth station there on Inexpressable Island.

Near the Ross Sea. 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/18/china-antarctic-station-inexpressible-island

The station is well positioned to collect signals intelligence over Australia and New Zealand and telemetry data on rockets launched from Australia’s new Arnhem Space Centre, it said. Once finished, the station is expected to include a wharf for China’s Xuelong icebreaker ships.

That’s the Guardian. 

If you are into Ice Picks, you would know all about it as it is the fifth such installation for the Chinese. 

Am I right? 

And now they are building a new satellite station. 

https://asiatimes.com/2023/02/china-building-new-satellite-station-in-antarctica/

We of course have our marine protected areas. 

Well that is Macquarie Island.  Care of Tanya The Great. 

But my question is, how much of this is you know, proxy research and where the peaceful purposes and mil activities start and stop.

The new antennas and receiving terminal will be built at China’s Zhongshan scientific research base, also called a “station,” which is located in East Antarctica near Prydz Bay, facing the Indian Ocean. Zhongshan is one of five Antarctic research stations managed by the Polar Research Institute of China. 

So here are some of the Chinese forays into ice brilliance: 

• Great Wall Station (1985), King George Island, South Shetland Islands
• Zhongshan Station (1989), Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica
• Kunlun Station (2009), Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica
• Taishan Station (2014), Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica
• 5th Antarctic Station (working name: Victoria Land Permanent Base) (2022), Inexpressible Island, Ross Sea

Kunlun is the highest point, Tim Tam? Is that right? 

What does that give them? 

I do believe they wanted a protected area around that point, not sure where are are on it. 

Zhongshan, Kunlun and Taishan are located in the Australian Antarctic Territory, which occupies about 42% of the continent. Inexpressible Island is located in New Zealand’s Ross Dependency.

The heights of China’s ambition in Antarctica

The Morrison government did pledge some money to go Antarctica way - my question is what has landed where. 

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/china-and-antarctica

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/pm-pledges-804m-to-fight-cold-war-in-antarctica-20220221-p59yax

https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2017/jul/01/how-antarctica-became-home-to-a-new-kind-of-scientific-diplomacy

McMurdo they say, is big as hell. 

So, I guess the question still remains - where does the edge lie? 

Are the Chinese coming or are they simply trying to compete with McDonald’s land, that allows the soft sway of lift music over cheap ads regarding warming sea temps. 

I wonder how the ice would melt. 

I wonder how that would happen. 

Ask your friendly scientist.

He probably worked on the Manhattan Project. 

‘Could you run a line between warming ice temps and the current sitch at hand?’

Nah, top secret. 

Time to wheel in the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Let’s break it down. 

‘Will I see penguins in the future.’

Slightly important. 

MUSIC 

Now that NATO has changed the borders, looks like Russia has decided to put some heavy machinery into that little space just to make things interesting. 

Olenya Air Base south of Murmansk has got some Russkie bombers coming their way. 

Russia relocates Tu-22M3 bombers to Kola Peninsula after drone attack

Good of NATO to change the borders. 

Definitely worth it, if you are trying to get real close to the pesky Russians. 

 Which brings me to the China is helping Russia scenario. 

Ah, I am sure I have raised this before but it could be true. If you want an Axis thing. 

My own tiny tiny interpretation is that as they also funded Ukrainian avionics, it might be a little more complicated. 

If you liked your wars to include global industrialists of all sorts making cashola. 

And my history includes that distinct possibility. 

MUSIC 

China is making a push to dominate the trading of lithium carbonate futures, as it seeks to wrest the financial plumbing linked to metals vital to the clean energy revolution away from the western dollar-based financial system. 

Last month the Guangzhou Futures Exchange became the fourth global commodities exchange to launch contracts tracking the price of lithium carbonate, a mineral used in the manufacture of electric-vehicle batteries.

The proliferation of futures contracts on crucial elements of electric-vehicle products such as nickel, copper and lithium carbonate in part reflects the growing importance of the industry, as companies up and down the supply chains seek to hedge against price swings.

China pushes to dominate trading in clean energy metals

I guess like solar panels, cheap goods and rare earths we’ll just pretend things don’t actually happen in PCP land. 

To note: Australians have got very rich off China land. 

I am not Geoff Raby nor the child of Geoff Raby but one day, when I thrust myself amongst the men of import in the country, I will espouse with greatness.

Nah, it’d suck hairy dogs balls. 

Prefer to hang with the Bloomberg girls as they regale me with their latest biz idea. 

Girls, WTF is happening? 

MUSIC 

https://www.ft.com/content/0e5bc6c8-6444-41e5-902f-41e9f174803e

There are reports that the North Koreans and the Russians are doing armament deals. 

Apparently the Russkies (according to the White House, so def an objective source) are doing armament deals with the NK’s and fat boy is on it. 

Fat boy is not a term you should use regarding nuclear weapons and M - as I am now known, like Puff Daddy changing my name in an apparent attempt to confuse most of humanity - is concerned. 

FAT BOY. 

Jesus Mother of God Pacific, what are you doing to keep these boys from nuking you into next week? 

You know they love a pretext for getting boots on ground. 

Axis dealio: North Korea and Russia. They love it. 

It makes it simple, you know good and bad. An AXIS. 

This is interesting but as most Oligarchs know, you can make money anywhere, esp if you have the ear of a military industrialist and if it turns sour, fake your death. 

I am not saying the head of the Wagner group might be living elsewhere but I might. 

But the financial aspect of the Axis Sitch At Hand might be the issue of third countries and who complies with sanctions and who doesn’t and that would no doubt be fascinating. 

I did not say I did know, I simply stated that it would be a nice little diagram to view those trade lines. 

MUSIC 

Which brings me to the ‘China is Nearing the End’ scenario.

This has been around for 20 or so years. 

It may or may not be reality. 

The Ukrainians on the other hand and Niger point to various realities, none of which anyone with half a brain would like to be a part of. 

It also involves uranium so at least there is a through line. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliasferrerbreda/2023/08/29/will-niger-troubles-squeeze-uranium-supply/?sh=75f0255f2d48

Did I mention the fact that the Froggies, like heaps of people in the West, just go in, take what they want, then get the hell out of there. 

Conveniently, this also allows them to circumvent the legalities of anythin’ that might happen.

But I did not say it. 

I am invisible.