Nobel laureates issue stark warning on fascism in open letter
The letter, signed by scholars from 30 countries and including 20 Nobel laureates, marks the 100th anniversary of Italian resistance to fascism.
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Sydney Morning Herald
37 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
As China prepares to invade Taiwan, a reality check: sitting on the sidelines won't help us
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's second visit to China – pencilled in for this month – will come weeks before the People's Liberation Army's 98th anniversary on August 1, 2025, a date laden with symbolism as Beijing approaches the military modernisation milestone of its centenary in 2027. Since 2021, US military and intelligence officials have warned that 2027 marks another key milestone: the date that Xi Jinping has instructed his military to have the capability to invade Taiwan. It was a point reinforced by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La defence conference in Singapore in June. And it is a warning the Australian prime minister will have in the back of his mind: China is both a critical economic partner and an escalating security threat. If the People's Republic of China chooses to take Taiwan by force, it will not be a straightforward island invasion but one that is likely to lead to a wide-raging Indo-Pacific conflict with significant implications for Australia. Xi's PRC views Taiwan as a 'a sacred and inseparable part of China's territory'. China's PLA has become one of the planet's most capable forces – with a growing nuclear arsenal, the world's largest standing army and navy, and a sophisticated rocket force. This rapid growth in military strength, which some could equate with China's growing economic and security weight globally as a superpower, has been coupled with a sharp deterioration in relations between Taiwan and the PRC. China has suspended official communications and restricted tourism. China has also ramped up its military operations in and around Taiwan. Following then US speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August 2022, China launched its largest ever military exercises in the area, including ballistic missiles flying over Taiwan. These coercive demonstrations, paired with increasingly hostile rhetoric, have now become the norm. Last year, China's military published a simulated graphic of missiles hitting Taiwan. At the Shangri-La dialogue that same year, China's current Defence Minister, Admiral Dong Jun, said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party will be 'nailed to the pillar of shame in history' and that 'anyone who dares separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction'. Loading It is within this context that Hegseth, at the Shangri-La dialogue, referred to the threat from China as 'imminent'. My recent trips to Taiwan indicate there is mixed sentiment in the security community as to the likelihood of a Chinese military invasion. In late 2023, then Democratic Progressive Party president Tsai Ing-wen said China's current economic and political challenges would probably hold it back from attempting an invasion in the near term. In May this year, however, Taiwan's current president – while generally reticent to talk on the prospects of an invasion – compared Taiwan's present plight with 1930s Europe. A September 2024 poll of 1200 Taiwanese people conducted by the country's Institute for National Security and Defence Research showed that, while most saw China's 'territorial ambitions as a serious threat', they did not think this was likely to manifest in an attack on Taiwan. This view is perhaps understandable. Taiwan's geography, shallow coastal waters, mountainous terrain and limited invasion windows due to weather make any military assault a monumental task. Such a challenge that the US abandoned plans to invade Taiwan during World War II under Operation Causeway.
The Age
37 minutes ago
- The Age
As China prepares to invade Taiwan, a reality check: sitting on the sidelines won't help us
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's second visit to China – pencilled in for this month – will come weeks before the People's Liberation Army's 98th anniversary on August 1, 2025, a date laden with symbolism as Beijing approaches the military modernisation milestone of its centenary in 2027. Since 2021, US military and intelligence officials have warned that 2027 marks another key milestone: the date that Xi Jinping has instructed his military to have the capability to invade Taiwan. It was a point reinforced by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La defence conference in Singapore in June. And it is a warning the Australian prime minister will have in the back of his mind: China is both a critical economic partner and an escalating security threat. If the People's Republic of China chooses to take Taiwan by force, it will not be a straightforward island invasion but one that is likely to lead to a wide-raging Indo-Pacific conflict with significant implications for Australia. Xi's PRC views Taiwan as a 'a sacred and inseparable part of China's territory'. China's PLA has become one of the planet's most capable forces – with a growing nuclear arsenal, the world's largest standing army and navy, and a sophisticated rocket force. This rapid growth in military strength, which some could equate with China's growing economic and security weight globally as a superpower, has been coupled with a sharp deterioration in relations between Taiwan and the PRC. China has suspended official communications and restricted tourism. China has also ramped up its military operations in and around Taiwan. Following then US speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August 2022, China launched its largest ever military exercises in the area, including ballistic missiles flying over Taiwan. These coercive demonstrations, paired with increasingly hostile rhetoric, have now become the norm. Last year, China's military published a simulated graphic of missiles hitting Taiwan. At the Shangri-La dialogue that same year, China's current Defence Minister, Admiral Dong Jun, said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party will be 'nailed to the pillar of shame in history' and that 'anyone who dares separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction'. Loading It is within this context that Hegseth, at the Shangri-La dialogue, referred to the threat from China as 'imminent'. My recent trips to Taiwan indicate there is mixed sentiment in the security community as to the likelihood of a Chinese military invasion. In late 2023, then Democratic Progressive Party president Tsai Ing-wen said China's current economic and political challenges would probably hold it back from attempting an invasion in the near term. In May this year, however, Taiwan's current president – while generally reticent to talk on the prospects of an invasion – compared Taiwan's present plight with 1930s Europe. A September 2024 poll of 1200 Taiwanese people conducted by the country's Institute for National Security and Defence Research showed that, while most saw China's 'territorial ambitions as a serious threat', they did not think this was likely to manifest in an attack on Taiwan. This view is perhaps understandable. Taiwan's geography, shallow coastal waters, mountainous terrain and limited invasion windows due to weather make any military assault a monumental task. Such a challenge that the US abandoned plans to invade Taiwan during World War II under Operation Causeway.
Perth Now
42 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘Virus': Sad claim at anti-Semitism hearing
An inquiry into anti-Semitism across Australia has been told the 'terrible virus' is spreading across the country. Last July the Federal Government appointed Australia's first Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism (ASECA), following a rise in apparent anti-Semitic attacks. Jillian Segal AO told a hearing at NSW parliament on Friday a spate of anti-Semitic acts in NSW over the past summer have contributed to 'anxiety and unease' in the Jewish community. 'Anti-Semitism is such a terrible virus that eats away at our fundamental Australian values,' she said. Anti Semitic attacks are on the rise across the country, a parliamentary hearing has been told. NewsWire / Simon Bullard. Credit: News Corp Australia Strike Force Pearl was formed following a spate of alleged anti-Semitic attacks across NSW. NewsWire Credit: NewsWire Since her appointment to the envoy nearly 12 months ago, Ms Segal told the parliamentary hearing she has met with many political and civil leaders across the country. Anti-Semitic acts that Ms Segal referenced included the caravan full of explosives found in Dural, NSW in January which appeared to target the Jewish community. 'The Dural caravan contained explosives and it deliberately targeted the Jewish community and created a sense of vulnerability among the Jewish community,' she said. Ms Segal said the assertion that the Dural caravan was 'merely a harmless hoax' and 'did not in fact terrorise the Jewish community' was false. 'Whether or not the caravan was ultimately intended to be used in a terror attack, it had the effect of causing a great deal of fear and anxiety in the Jewish community, which was already on edge following the succession of arson and graffiti attacks, as well as the terror attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne,' she said. Ms Segal was asked about the impacts of a violent pro-Palestinian rally at the Sydney Opera House, on October 9, 2023, following Hamas attacks, and if those events 'set the tone for everything that has happened following that incident.' 'I think it was a terrible incident that did indicate to people who were underlying anti-Semitic that they could continue behaving that way,' she said. 'Anti-Semitism is a hatred and behaving that way in that community is shaped by leadership. 'Leadership is incredibly important and leader's condemning certain attitudes and behaviours sets the tone. Jillian Segal AO has spoken at a parliamentary hearing. . Supplied Credit: Supplied 'I don't think everything that has happened has been a result of that … but it was an opportunity for it to be stamped out.' Ms Segal said Jewish Australians should not have to live in fear. 'No Jewish person should be told it's not safe to visit the opera house, or to visit a NSW hospital. Or worry about the safety of their children at a Jewish school,' she said. Rising anti-Semitism is being seen 'everywhere', Ms Segal said, which requires a range of approaches. 'We need a whole host of responses not only individual leadership but we need legislation, condemnation and education,' she said. 'We need to make sure it doesn't in any way send the message that it is acceptable.' Deputy Commissioner David Hudson NSW Police Force told the hearing 33 per cent of reports of hate crimes to his team have been of an anti-Semitic nature. NSW Police have received a total of 1,121 reports of anti-Semitic acts so far in 2025, the inquiry was told. 'This type of behaviour and offending is not going away,' Mr Hudson said. Strike force Pearl formed to investigate anti-Semitic acts, has seen 14 incidents which were on the 'higher end of the spectrum' of offending, Mr Hudson said, which included attacks and firebombing of Jewish centres and synagogues. 'We certainly believe they were anti-Semitic in nature … the Jewish community was targeted, they were putting lives in danger and ultimately I don't think we would consider it anything but anti-Semitic in nature,' he said. Those 14 attacks were allegedly conducted by criminal networks, Mr Hudson said, with one 'individual of interest' seen as a catalyst for those incidents, who had allegedly made social media posts that were anti-Semitic in nature.
