what a pleasure it is to write on this site and introduce intelligent and topical subjects and get sound responses - I have introduced this topic on three other sites and had no response - all uk sites by the way? maybe I should try a few yankie ones?

Yep. This is maybe the greatest con job in history. A "memorandum of understanding" - as understood by any reasonable thinking person or government, should mean a statement that outlines the aims of a program of trade and exchange that should be fair and have the aim of a win/win outcome for all. What it means to the Chinese regime though is this…
“We will provide you with infrastructure, invest in your country, build anything you need/ want etc, You can pay later...Then when later comes and you can’t pay back the loans, we will offer to scrub or lessen the debt if you let us take over parts of your land for our own strategic purposes. We will want to do this whether it suits the interests of your neighbours or not.”..etc etc. And also, the more you are in our debt, the more we will demand that you control and censor your media to suit us and not allow any criticism of China by anybody.” The belt part is control of land routes..the road part is control of sea roads..or lanes. China’s propaganda machine insists that BAR is good for everybody and they get hostile with anybody who argues with them. The regime works on the old tactic of seduce first and then if that doesn’t work, threaten. More and more countries or becoming wise to what they are doing. China’s big mistake is that they underestimate everybody. They work on the“useful idiots” principle. They insult people’s intelligence. They think that bullying works. It doesn’t. Scott Morrison and his government are far from perfect, but the way they are standing up to China and their vindictive, spiteful and totally unjustified trade sanctions is commendable. And the people of Australia agree. Nobody likes being bullied. It’s got nothing to do with race. Chinese people in Australia are being bullied right here by Xi’s thugs. The same as they are in China. Victoria made an arrogant and stupid mistake trying to make a deal with China on their own. They are part of the federation of Australia. They need to start acting like they are. Hopefully no other state will make the same mistake again.

The most authoritative and credible commentators on the whole China thing I this country are Peter Hartcher, Marieke Ohlberg and Clive Hamilton. They have several extremely well researched books published. They can be reviewed anywhere on line :-

"The Silent Invasion". Clive Hamilton

"The Hidden Hand" Marieke Ohlberg and Clive Hamilton.

Sounds like the Chinese are only following America's and Europe's
example for the last 200yrs Keezoy from what you say ??

Donkeyman! 👍🤔🤔👍

who said they've gone tits up? - I think they are doing quite well although misguided. We are all in the middle of a "testing arena" anyone of us can go "tits up" It's just the old west versus the east game all over again? Who's on Chinas side? - maybe N.Korea [got no options] Myanmar - maybe? Cambodia -??? - it's an interesting time to be alive!

Asking for help? LOL! It won't be long if your government try to get in the way of the inevitable.

It's not China that's going to go tits up, it's America that is on that path. Who will support China if push comes to shove? Difficult to be absolutely certain but the ancient (Sanskrit?) adage of the enemy of my enemy is my friend will no doubt apply in which case very unexpected bedfellows will emerge.

As a previous poster said on this same subject, most of the "help" in wars in the last 2 centuries has been the other way around. So you are on very shaky ground with those remarks. They are grossly insulting of course to the hundreds of thousands of Australians, Americans, New Zealanders, Canadians, French, South Africans, Indians, Greeks, Scandinavians..you get the picture...who have supported and helped BRITAIN!..but of course Art you have no concept of what may be insulting to anybody else. It's just all a big "LOL" to you. A big "LOL" to my grandfather who died defending Britain in WW1. A big "LOL" to 4 of my uncles..1 Australian, 2 American, who died in WW2 defending Britain and one in the first air raid on Darwin. My own father had the crap shot out of him at El Alamein. Twice. The one time I can remember Australia asking for help from Britain was in ww2 when the Japanese were breathing down our neck. Churchill told John Curtin to go to hell. IT was the Americans that came to our aid. And they are standing with us right now in the top end more readily and willingly than anybdy else I might say.Seems to me buddy that the help has been provided by us..not you. Yes we are only a small country but we have given a lot of bloody lives in your wars to help YOU. But a morally bankrupt twat like like you wouldn't understand any of that. Is that too "AD HOMINEM" for you?...suck it up sweetheart. All you care about is money and your own arse. So why should anybody care about your feelings. I read your "Shoot them or at least crack a few skulls" comment btw. Made me want to vomit but it didn't surprise me at all. Most of the time I manage to ignore your verbal diarrhoea but I am human..Sometimes I fail. Half of me is Australian and the other half is American so even somebody like you may understand just how not "LOL" your words are to me. But of course you couldn't give a toss as you frequently say. So neither do I.

As a previous poster said on this same subject, most of the "help" in wars in the last 2 centuries has been the other way around. So you are on very shaky ground with those remarks. They are grossly insulting of course to the hundreds of thousands of Australians, Americans, New Zealanders, Canadians, French, South Africans, Indians, Greeks, Scandinavians..you get the picture...who have supported and helped BRITAIN!..but of course Art you have no concept of what may be insulting to anybody else. It's just all a big "LOL" to you. A big "LOL" to my grandfather who died defending Britain in WW1. A big "LOL" to 4 of my uncles..1 Australian, 2 American, who died in WW2 defending Britain and one in the first air raid on Darwin. My own father had the crap shot out of him at El Alamein. Twice. The one time I can remember Australia asking for help from Britain was in ww2 when the Japanese were breathing down our neck. Churchill told John Curtin to go to hell. IT was the Americans that came to our aid. And they are standing with us right now in the top end more readily and willingly than anybdy else I might say.Seems to me buddy that the help has been provided by us..not you. Yes we are only a small country but we have given a lot of bloody lives in your wars to help YOU. But a morally bankrupt twat like like you wouldn't understand any of that. Is that too "AD HOMINEM" for you?...suck it up sweetheart. All you care about is money and your own arse. So why should anybody care about your feelings. I read your "Shoot them or at least crack a few skulls" comment btw. Made me want to vomit but it didn't surprise me at all. Most of the time I manage to ignore your verbal diarrhoea but I am human..Sometimes I fail. Half of me is Australian and the other half is American so even somebody like you may understand just how not "LOL" your words are to me. But of course you couldn't give a toss as you frequently say. So neither do I.