Could not Australia supply gas to the EU? This would entail diversions of our gas sales from China to the EU. In general, would it not be a valid principle to deliberately reduce strategic exports to large dictatorships and towards allies? The suggested principle, that economic engagement and trade with authoritarian regimes would induce their progress towards openness and democracy, has manifestly failed. Russia and China have doubled down on oppression and aggression. Instead, we have become entangled with them and significantly dependent on their primary products (Russia) and their manufactured products (China). This entanglement weakens democratic countries and alliances and hamstrings attempts to resist the aggressions of authoritarian nations, IMHO.
Could not Australia supply gas to the EU? This would entail diversions of our gas sales from China to the EU. In general, would it not be a valid principle to deliberately reduce strategic exports to large dictatorships and towards allies? The suggested principle, that economic engagement and trade with authoritarian regimes would induce their progress towards openness and democracy, has manifestly failed. Russia and China have doubled down on oppression and aggression. Instead, we have become entangled with them and significantly dependent on their primary products (Russia) and their manufactured products (China). This entanglement weakens democratic countries and alliances and hamstrings attempts to resist the aggressions of authoritarian nations, IMHO.