I guess the tragedy of our predicament is that populist politicians will "do whatever it takes to gain & maintain power)* even if that means bankrupting the country and empoverishing its citizens.
This "whatever it takes" amoral philosophy risks our Democracy as what happened elsewhere in the 20th C and beyond.
Its absolutely silly to blame China for our economic woes when successive Governments have exposed the Aussie economy to risk by following the market and then woke up when they had pissed the bed.
China is not our problem nor for that matter is the US either.
Our problem is domestic in that we did not industrialise in the 20thC , diversify trade and lift our GDP by adding value to our "dig 'em up and ship 'em out " strategies by foreign multinationals who own our resources including mines.
What is our Government's plan C (we dont have a plan B to counter current China trade restrictions on our Ag exports) if in the event that the US imposes full economic sanctions on China and compels us to follow?
Like the Godfather, we should be giving the USA an offer they cant refuse: Take up our Aussie Exports that China has blocked; otherwise we wont support your future economic sanctions on China.
Is the USA likely to re-industrialise (short of WW3) and take our Iron Ore, Met Coals & LNG? I dont think so. Rather they will fight China with every $AUD available to them while liberally trading with China.
This putting America First is a great gig for America but an Economic disaster for Aus and already evidenced by the Trump/China Ag deal cut in January which bullies our farmers out of the China food & drink markets.
China is giving us an object lesson in international trade & diplomacy by allowing the US to show its true greedy colours (give them enough rope) by forceably displacing Australia out of Chinese consumer markets and perhaps this is just too subtle for Trump mugs on these threads to twig....eh?
* Please refer to "The Prince" by Nichol Machievelli (published 16C) & John Stuart Mill's "Utilitarianism" published 19C ( the end justifies the means and the greatest happiness for the greatest number) ,particularly when the end is per Machiavelli !!!. But by the tenor of most posters on these political threads, very few have read either and percieve China bashing by Trump as their "greatest happiness" regardless of negative economic consequences later.
