On Australian approach

Venise Alstergren writes: Re. “Businesses don’t like it, but Turnbull is dead right about China” (Thursday)

Perhaps Malcolm Turnbull-faced by even more negative polls should forfeit the job of PM and be shifted to Foreign Affairs and Julie Bishop — who assails us from the rigours of the socially aware pages of the press — could be given Rural Affairs, or be made Minister for Ageing (a job she held previously in the early 2000s). And Barnaby Joyce be given the order of the boot.

Martin writes: Re. “Businesses don’t like it, but Turnbull is dead right about China” (Thursday)

I’m not so sure that China was being “aggressively” expansionist, rather they’ve developed what were otherwise uninhabited and abandoned islands in the South China Sea. There is quite a contrast between this and the brutal invasion of Australia, a country that was indeed inhabited.

I guess now that China has emerged as a new superpower, you would expect it to have some stabilising role, alongside the US, in maintaining the peace around the world. If there is a Korean reunification sometime this year then perhaps some of those roughly 23,000 US troops could be redeployed to Darwin, which might help allay some fears. I prefer to not be alarmed needlessly.

On US foreign policy

Graybul writes: Re. “Syria would test any president. It is far, far beyond the abilities of Trump.” (Thrusday)

Seriously, why does a mired American nation continue to embrace an interventionist, line-umpire role in the Middle Eastern cauldron? The days of great Empires seeking wealth, power and status via subjugation of hapless smaller nations now well past use-by-dates …

American focus surely, must be to negotiate an acceptable, balanced relationship with China. China will continue to pursue, reclaim an historical heritage. The American challenge is to transition. Renew, repair the severely frayed social fabric that if left untended will surely destroy both past, present and future claims to world leadership. China as a competitive ally is infinitely more productive than foe. The American hegemonic powerhouse is no longer sustainable.

The world knows this. China believes this. The world’s peoples await evidence that America accepts transition. American military dominance is a reality. Use of force to deny change or renewal, unacceptable.