Former Howard government defence minister Robert Hill gave the green light to US long range strategic bombers using Australian weapons ranges as far back as 2005, and the bombers have made irregular flying visits to Australia ever since.
But the difference in 2005 was there was barely a whimper from a far less powerful China.
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John Kerin writes on News specialising in Defence, Foreign Affairs. John is based in our Canberra bureau. Connect with John on Twitter.
Lisa Murray is Enterprise Journalism Editor and host of The Fin podcast. Connect with Lisa on Twitter. Email Lisa at lmurray@afr.com
