Hostility towards China risks becoming counter-productive

The US might have ulterior motives in casting doubts about Huawei.

In his article on the threats possibly posed by China’s hi-tech companies such as Huawei, Fergus Hanson ends by referring to China’s “increasingly hostile communist regime” (“Not all of China’s technology is evil”, 29/12). He did not substantiate that. Indeed, from an Australian point of view it reads rather oddly, in the light of, for example, Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s warm reception during her recent visit to Beijing.

What is increasing is China’s wealth, capacity and standing, making it, as Peter Jennings says in his article, “the closest thing the US has to a near-peer competitor”. In those circumstances the US, “feeling the hot breath”, is trying to push back against China’s increasing competitiveness.

It seems that a big part of a proposed trade deal would be a fresh attempt to grapple with US concerns about intellectual property and cyber theft, the subject of Hanson’s article. It’s worth noting that these concerns are not new, that China is far from being the only country that gets mentioned in that regard, and that from the US point of view, raising security concerns about Huawei has the additional benefit of placing obstacles in the way of the rise of China’s “champion” corporation in the field of new technologies. That is a long way from an “increasingly hostile communist regime” and the more we characterise China in that way the more likely we are to turn it into a reality.

Geoff Miller, director-general, Office of National Assessments, 1989-95, McMahon’s Point, NSW

Sheltered at the ABC

Nick Cater correctly observes that it is unlikely the bigwigs at the ABC read the many negative comments about the broadcaster (“Slings and arrows aplenty, often aimed at the ABC”, 31/12). The old saying that there are none so blind that they choose to ignore obvious and real constructive criticism is part of the ABC’s DNA. As a sheltered workshop for bias and inaccuracies among some of its management, presenters and journalists, the ABC has exclusive ownership rights.

Hugh Francis, Portland, Vic

Pill testing no-brainer

Testing illicit substances at music festivals provides the information that anyone about to swallow a substance should have available to them before taking such action. It does not condone nor encourage taking illicit substances, but once the actual contents of the substance are known, it may deter such action and prevent serious consequences.

I don’t understand why this poses a dilemma. Surely testing is another way of preventing possible death.

D. Barrington, Torrensville, SA

Search for gang truth

It’s time to revive the state of disorder logo as African gang violence explodes in Victoria. It seems that only The Australian is willing to take on this problem and ask the hard questions. According to Melbourne ABC and The Age, there’s hardly a problem.

An attack on peaceful Vietnamese seniors playing checkers in St Albans led to young Vietnamese tweeting their fury — “time to find the machete”. The joys of multiculturalism. Cut & Paste (29/12) captured the running-dead policy of Victoria Police — nothing to see here, move on.

Police Minister Lisa Neville recently tried to calm people by holding a press conference at Chelsea Beach — a paddling place for families where gangs have descended — by chanting the same: nothing to see here.

But people are frightened to go to suburban beaches. Even The Age was forced to publish the shocking words, “with riot police later storming the foreshore”. Commercial TV showed the riot squad lined up as if they were in a Paris street, but we were not favoured with such shocking images on the ABC. Self-censorship in the name of political correctness.

Baden Eunson, Brighton East, Vic