The Solomon Islands are an archipelago in Oceania, thirteen minutes by Chinese DF-17 nuclear cruise missile from mainland Australia. To deliver atomic justice upon Sydney, population 6.13 million, they’d have to roll out their DF-26’s and wait a few minutes longer.
About three, to be precise.
Of course, Solomon Islanders themselves have no beef with Australia. Our missionaries saved them from all that pagan headhunting cannibalism bullshit, and in gratitude they agreed to work for absolutely nothing in our sugarcane plantations.
God love ’em.
In 1979 the Solomon Islands gained their independence from Australia, and in 2019 sold it to China. As a reward for ending diplomatic relations with Taiwan, China generously agreed to build the Solomon Islands a railway to the cursed Gold Ridge Mine.
For a mere $825M USD.
Debt-trap diplomacy aside, this means there is Chinese-owned rail infrastructure a strategic bee’s dick from Australia which is capable of transporting the mobile erector-launchers China uses to launch its missiles.
In November ’21 Australia sent a 116-strong peacekeeping force to help the local SI police deal with rioting. They discovered China had already embedded a “Public Security Bureau” on the Islands to “conduct safety training for overseas Chinese and Chinese-funded enterprises, so as to effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese“.
Why? Because the Solomon Islands are a Chinese ‘interest’ now.
So who was surprised that the “draft security agreement” between China and the SI that was leaked earlier has now been ratified? I don’t care what that weak bitch Sogavare says, he’s Emperor’s Xi’s puppet now. Australia dropped the ball, big time.
Hmmm… I wonder how fast a DF-26 brigade could “accidentally” hit Taipei from a launcher parked outside Honiara?
A retired US Navy captain suggests Australia (or Taiwan) would have 25 seconds to intercept a Chinese hypersonic cruise missile before it’s too late. That would leave us with about fifteen minutes to kiss our collective asses goodbye.
Australia is just an open-cut mine to China at best, so why would they care if the edges get a bit singed during the invasion? I mean, all the uranium, copper and gold is inland.
But even if they don’t bomb us, what Russia is failing to do in Europe by strength, China can achieve through subtlety. They can menace our borders, and Australia will do nothing except strongly condemn.
And don’t expect the Yanks to save us.
So better go pack your swags, boys and girls. It might be worth re-read that book by John Marsden and, if you can find it, watch On the Beach (1959) not that it’ll help.