Fair point about Scomo. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the draw.
"I'll put it this way; the Chinese would never do anything not in their interest". Hard disagree there. Their foriegn ministry didn't cover themselves in glory with their hysterical messaging during Covid. Their carry on turned many people around the world against the CCP. Perhaps it was in their interest to do so to shore up domestic stability, but it turned the mood sour against the PRC long term.
The Oz coal bans were also against the PRCs interests cause they hampered their manufacturing. The bans gave companies another reason to leave and caused Chinese people to suffer blackouts in 2021/22. Both the ban and their rhetoric are counter productive.
