During a landmark visit to Hanoi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, To Lam, signed 45 agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation across trade, infrastructure, technology, and aviation. The deals signal an ambitious pivot toward deeper regional integration as China courts neighbours affected by global trade tensions, particularly the US-China tariff battles.

Among the standout initiatives is the creation of a joint railway development committee, which will spearhead projects to improve cross-border transport and logistics. Vietnam, keen to reduce its trade imbalance with China, is also seeking access to preferential loans and the transfer of critical technologies to bolster domestic industries.

The timing of Xi’s visit is noteworthy. It came just days after former US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on new tariffs, providing temporary relief to Vietnam. This has underscored Vietnam’s strategic position as a manufacturing hub and a key alternative route for Chinese goods destined for the United States. The country has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the trade war, attracting companies keen to sidestep rising US tariffs on Chinese products.

China remains Vietnam’s largest trading partner, with bilateral commerce topping $205 billion last year. Vietnamese industries are deeply reliant on Chinese inputs, including raw materials and machinery. Infrastructure cooperation is expanding too, with a major highlight being an $8.4 billion cross-border railway that promises to enhance regional trade flow and reduce logistics costs.

The two nations are also turning their attention to the skies. Vietnam has signalled intent to deepen aviation links, particularly through the import of Chinese aircraft. With the easing of import restrictions, opportunities are opening up for Chinese aerospace firm Comac, whose ARJ21 and C919 jets are gaining traction in the region. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh praised Comac’s growing role and encouraged investment in aircraft maintenance and service facilities.

The flurry of agreements underlines China’s drive to position itself as a more dependable economic partner, especially for countries feeling the pressure of shifting US policies. For Vietnam, the deals reflect a careful balancing act—welcoming Chinese capital and technology while preserving strategic independence and seeking more equitable trade dynamics.

ED: From my inbox

Dr Patrick Moore was a founding member of Greenpeace, back in the days when it was a grassroots movement genuinely focused on protecting the environment. Over time, however, Greenpeace was infiltrated by radical left-wing activists who pushed him out for refusing to toe their ideological line. Despite this, Moore remains a passionate environmentalist—grounded in science, reason, and realism.

His views on wind and solar energy are well worth listening to. Far from being the clean, green solutions they’re made out to be, these technologies come with significant environmental and economic costs. The Left’s relentless push for wind and solar, while ignoring the clear benefits of nuclear energy, exposes their real agenda: it’s not about saving the planet, but about undermining the foundations of Western civilisation by making energy prohibitively expensive and unreliable.

Just one example: the carbon emissions involved in mining, processing, and manufacturing the materials needed for so-called ‘green’ energy are staggering. A single wind turbine base requires up to 60,000 tons of concrete. Numerous studies show that the emissions involved in producing these systems are never offset by the electricity they generate over their typical 20-year lifespan. It’s an environmental and economic hoax on a massive scale.

Meanwhile, China is reportedly building more than 400 new coal-fired power stations—ensuring they have access to cheap, reliable energy to power their vast industrial sector. Where are the global protests outside Chinese embassies? Why the silence?

If the Left were truly serious about reducing emissions and preserving the planet, they would embrace nuclear power clean, safe, and vastly more reliable.

Regards,
John Taske

Julie and I arrived home yesterday afternoon after an unforgettable 18-day adventure in Japan. The first part of our trip was a cruise around the Japanese coastline, with a one-day visit to Busan in South Korea.

In Japan, we stopped at Kochi, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Kanazawa, Niigata, Otaru, Aomori, Hakodate and Yokohama. Each port was unique—individually different, yet all beautiful, immaculately clean, and genuinely welcoming. We had timed our journey to coincide with the cherry blossom season, and we were not disappointed—Sakura were in full bloom everywhere, painting the towns and countryside in shades of soft pink and white.

A few things struck us immediately: not a trace of graffiti anywhere, and despite the bustling cities, no one locks their bicycles—not even the electric ones. You won’t find many public rubbish bins either. People simply take their waste home, or leave it at the shop where they made their purchase. The general attitude was one of mutual respect, and the people—though often unable to speak English—were consistently polite and helpful.

We’ve already been asked which city we liked best. That’s a tough one, but we both agreed our favourite stop was right up north—Otaru. This was a charming place where we happily spent the entire day on foot, exploring canals, markets, and quaint streets. There was just so much to see and enjoy, we ended up setting a new personal record on our step counter!

After the cruise, we spent three days in Tokyo. Wow—what a vibrant, high-energy city. People everywhere, all moving with purpose and pace. It felt like there were restaurants and small eateries every few metres—an absolute food-lover’s paradise. We did manage to get lost at one point and couldn’t find our hotel. The map we had was half in English, but the street names were all in Japanese.

We asked a gentleman for help—he didn’t speak a word of English, but we handed him our hotel’s business card. He nodded, gestured for us to follow, and then walked with us for over a kilometre until we reached the hotel. He’d clearly gone well out of his way to help us, and once we arrived, he simply turned around and went back in the opposite direction. We were deeply grateful—that small act of kindness said a lot about the people of Japan.

Back home and the day to day routine. I know there is a great deal of news for me to catch up with and 487 emails to read that have come in since I left, if you’re awaiting a reply, please be patient I will respond in a few days or so.

Please have a safe Easter particularly if you’re on the roads.

Cheers Ray

Just some of my favourite Cherry Blossoms

Australia’s lack of self-sufficiency in manufacturing and essential supplies is a serious vulnerability in the event of a major global conflict, particularly if supply routes were cut off. The country’s reliance on imported goods—especially fuel, military hardware, and essential components—would make it extremely difficult to rapidly scale up war production. Here’s an overview of the major concerns:

1. Fuel Supply & Refining Capability

• Australia only has about 90 days of fuel reserves, which is dangerously low in a wartime scenario.
• We import over 90% of our refined fuel, mostly from Asia. If supply routes were disrupted, fuel for military and civilian use would be in crisis.
• Australia shut down most of its refineries, leaving only two (Ampol in Brisbane and Viva Energy in Geelong). If these were targeted or ran out of crude oil, we’d be in serious trouble.
• Without fuel, military operations (ships, aircraft, vehicles) would be severely limited, and even domestic transport, agriculture, and industry would grind to a halt.

2. Shipbuilding & Naval Strength

• We lack large-scale shipbuilding capacity—most of our Navy’s vessels are built overseas or rely on imported parts.
• Australia’s merchant fleet is tiny, meaning we have almost no capacity to move goods independently.
• With most of our trade coming by sea, a blockade would devastate supplies of essential goods.
• The Royal Australian Navy has a relatively small fleet, and while we have submarines and surface ships, they rely on foreign maintenance and parts.

3. Aircraft Manufacturing & Air Force Readiness

• Australia no longer manufactures military aircraft. The days of producing the CAC Boomerang (WWII) or the Nomad (1970s) are long gone.
• Our F-35s, Super Hornets, and other aircraft rely on imported parts—without resupply, maintenance would become impossible.
• We don’t have the ability to rapidly produce drones or fighter aircraft to replenish losses.
• If fuel is in short supply, the RAAF’s effectiveness would be further compromised.

4. Weapons & Ammunition Production

• The Australian Defence Force depends heavily on imported weapons, ammunition, and missiles.
• While there are some local manufacturers (e.g., Thales produces small arms ammunition in Benalla), Australia lacks large-scale munitions production.
• Missiles and high-tech weaponry are almost entirely imported, meaning we’d quickly run out of advanced weaponry.
• Scaling up defence manufacturing would take years, requiring foreign expertise, equipment, and supply chains that might be unavailable in wartime.

5. Clothing & General Manufacturing

• Australia no longer has a large textile industry, meaning military uniforms and boots are largely imported.
• The car industry shut down, which means no domestic ability to mass-produce military vehicles.
• General manufacturing capability is nowhere near what it was during WWII, when Australia produced aircraft, tanks, and ammunition domestically.

6. Food Security & Agriculture

• Australia is a food exporter, which is a strength, but:
  • Fertilizers and chemicals for farming are mostly imported.
  • Diesel shortages would cripple food production and transport.
  • Machinery parts and tractors are foreign made, so breakdowns would lead to serious agricultural disruptions.
  • With most of the population in cities, food distribution could be a major issue.

7. Skilled Workforce & Industrial Base

• The loss of industrial skills due to decades of outsourcing would make it difficult to quickly ramp up war production.
• Training a new generation of tradespeople, machinists, and engineers takes time.
• The reliance on foreign expertise for advanced manufacturing (e.g., submarines, aircraft) would leave us struggling without outside support.

8. Cyber & Energy Vulnerabilities

• Australia imports much of its high-tech military equipment, including electronic warfare systems and guidance technology.
• The country has limited energy resilience—we import components for power grids and rely on overseas supply chains for things like semiconductors.
• Cybersecurity threats could cripple military and civilian infrastructure.

Historical Comparison: WWII vs. Today

• During WWII, Australia had a strong industrial base, producing aircraft, ships, and armaments.
• Today, almost all manufacturing has been outsourced, meaning we don’t have the infrastructure or supply chains in place to repeat that effort.
• Rebuilding wartime industry would take years, not months—by the time production ramped up, the war could be lost.

Conclusion: Australia is in a Dangerous Position

If global supply chains were cut due to a major conflict, Australia would struggle to sustain military and civilian needs. Unlike WWII, when we had a strong industrial base, we now rely almost entirely on imports for fuel, weapons, and critical supplies.

To address this, Australia would need:

• Strategic fuel reserves and domestic refining capacity.
• A revived manufacturing sector, particularly in defence industries.
• A stronger merchant fleet for self-sufficient shipping.
• Increased local food production and distribution resilience.
• More investment in cyber defence and high-tech weaponry.

At present, Australia is unprepared for a long war without external support. If major powers like the US were distracted by their own conflicts, Australia would face severe shortages in fuel, weapons, and manufacturing capability, making national defence incredibly difficult.

Written and Researched by Ray Payne OAM – March 2025

Media Release

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is continuing its 2025 Regional Presence Deployment program with the departure of HMAS Sydney from Fleet Base East in Sydney. Over a three-month period, HMAS Sydney will participate in training and cooperation activities, including Exercise Bersama Shield alongside Five Power Defence Arrangements nations: Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Australian Defence Force Regional Presence Deployments involve visits throughout the Indo-Pacific region, focusing on exercises and cooperative activities with partner nations. These deployments reinforce cooperation between Australia and regional partners, demonstrating Australia’s ongoing commitment to regional security, stability, and the promotion of a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. They also highlight Australia’s contribution to maintaining the global rules-based order in accordance with international law.

Australian vessels and aircraft will continue to exercise their rights to freedom of navigation and overflight under international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The first Regional Presence Deployment for 2025 was recently completed by HMAS Hobart, which conducted training exercises and activities with Indonesia, France, and the Philippines.

HMAS Sydney is one of three Hobart-class air warfare destroyers in service, with a crew of more than 200 personnel and an embarked MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. The crew remains dedicated to mission readiness as they embark on this deployment, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the ship’s commissioning into service with the Navy in May.

This Regional Presence Deployment will conclude in early July 2025.

The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan has slammed the government’s handling of national security, calling it a “joke” and warning that the country’s defence force is in a state of disarray. Mr Sheridan’s remarks come as Labor has wiped the funding for 5,000 Australian Defence Force personnel as a way to offset years of failure to meet recruitment targets. He argued that the government’s claims of improving the recruitment process are not enough and that the country’s defence force is still severely undermanned.

ED: After you read these, you’ll probably be glad I’m going on holidays 

A little boy was staring in wonder at the names on a plaque in an old church. The pastor noticed him and asked, “What are you looking at, my son?”

The boy replied, “All those names up there. Who are they?”

The pastor smiled and said, “Why, they are the names of people from this congregation who died in the service.”

The little boy thought for a moment and then asked very quietly, “Which one? The 9:00 or the 11:00 service?”

Joke #2

After 35 years, General Green retired from the Army to fulfill his dream of bird hunting in his spare time. He got a new hunting dog and named it “Sarge.” The dog was incredible at pointing, flushing, and retrieving. General Green’s friends were so jealous that they offered huge amounts of cash to buy Sarge. But the general always refused, proudly saying that Sarge was the best bird dog he’d ever owned and that he couldn’t part with him for any price.

A year later, one of General Green’s friends visited and was surprised to find that he was breaking in a new dog.

Fearing the worst, the friend asked, “What happened to good old Sarge?”

The General looked sad. “I had to shoot him. My wife kept calling him Colonel, and pretty soon all the dog would do is sit on his ass and bark.”

Joke #3

An off-duty soldier took a train. When the train reached its first stop, a general walked in, and the soldier stood up. The General said, “At ease soldier, sit down.” The train reached its second stop, again the soldier stood up, and the General once again said, “At ease soldier, sit down.” When the train reached its third stop, again, the soldier stood up. This time, the General looked at him and said, “You don’t have to salute every time we reach a stop.” The soldier replied, “I want to get off, I missed my stop 2 stations ago.”

Joke #4

A soldier shows up for military training but realizes he forgot to bring his gun.

The sergeant hands him a stick and gestures to the training field.

“You’ll have to use this, soldier. If you need to shoot someone, just aim your stick at them and shout ‘Bangity bang-bang’. If someone gets too close to you, poke them in the gut with it as though it was a bayonette and shout ‘Stabbity stab-stab’. Now get moving.”

The soldier thinks this is pretty ridiculous, but to his surprise, when he aims his stick at a fellow trainee across the field and shouts “Bangity bang-bang!” the other soldier goes down in a theatrical display. Then, another trainee tries to run past him, so he pokes the guy in the ribs and shouts “Stabbity stab-stab!” and he too goes down, pretending to be dead.

So, the soldier starts running through the mock-battlefield, shouting “Bangity bang-bang” and occasionally “Stabbity-stab-stab”, until eventually, he realizes he’s the last man standing.

He’s feeling pretty proud of himself until another soldier rounds a corner and starts walking toward him. Slowly. Stiffly. Menacingly.

The soldier takes aim with his stick and shouts, “Bangity-bang-bang!”

But the other soldier doesn’t go down this time. He keeps approaching, arms stiff at his sides, boots stomping aggressively into the ground.

The soldier begins to sweat. He clears his throat, adjusts grip on his stick and hollers, “Bangity bang-bang!”

But nothing happens. The other soldier keeps marching toward him.

Now the soldier panics. He pretends to reload his stick and desperately cries out, “Bangity bang-bang! Bangity bang-bang! Stabbity stab-stab!”

But to his dismay, nothing works.

Finally, the other soldier reaches him, kicks him in the shin and knocks him onto the ground.

He stands over the fallen soldier and says:

“Tankity tank-tank.”

The Times

Iran has once again showcased its military capabilities by revealing an underground missile facility through state media. The dramatic video, featuring high-ranking military officials Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, provided a glimpse into the massive subterranean complex. The facility is home to advanced missile systems, including the Kheybar Shekan, Ghadr-H, and Sejjil, reinforcing Iran’s commitment to bolstering its military presence amid escalating regional tensions.

Despite the impressive display, experts have identified a significant vulnerability in the facility’s design. The video footage revealed that the munitions are stored in long, open tunnels with minimal protective measures. Analysts caution that such an arrangement presents a severe risk, as a single breach could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction, destroying the entire stockpile. Unlike other Iranian underground installations, this facility appears to lack robust blast doors or compartmentalised storage, making it more susceptible to targeted strikes.

The timing of Iran’s revelation is also noteworthy. There are indications that the United States is preparing for a major military operation in the region, as it increases its presence at the strategically important Diego Garcia base. Reports suggest that at least five B-2 Spirit bombers and seven C-17 Globemaster III transport planes have either arrived or are en route, signalling a potential shift in the geopolitical landscape.

While Iran’s underground missile facility was intended to project strength and deter adversaries, the exposure of its structural weaknesses may have inadvertently given its rivals a strategic advantage. In the high-stakes arena of modern warfare, even the most formidable fortresses are only as strong as their weakest link.

CLICK LINK to view the video

https://x.com/i/status/1904601230292234308

ED: This from my inbox this morning. One point I noted, most pensioners don’t benefit from tax cuts, but fuel costs benefit all.

ABC News

In his budget reply speech last night, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton sharpened the debate on cost-of-living relief by unveiling a suite of policies aimed at easing financial pressure on Australian families. The centrepiece of his plan is an immediate reduction in fuel excise, contrasting with the government’s tax cuts that are still 18 months away and will amount to only $5 per week for many Australians.

Dutton’s proposal to slash fuel excise by $6 billion would provide direct and swift relief to motorists struggling with rising fuel prices. This initiative sets him apart from the Albanese government’s approach, which centres on a $17.1 billion tax cut that will not take effect until July 2025. With household budgets already under strain, Dutton’s plan offers tangible benefits without the long wait.

In an effort to further reduce living costs, Dutton committed to driving down energy prices by increasing domestic gas supply. His “gas reservation” policy would require gas producers to prioritise the local market, ensuring Australians benefit from the nation’s natural resources. While this move has sparked debate, it aligns with the opposition’s broader strategy to make Australia a global manufacturing and mining powerhouse by cutting excessive red and green tape.

Dutton also outlined a major savings initiative, announcing that he would reverse the government’s decision to hire 41,000 additional public servants. This move, projected to save $7 billion per year once fully implemented, reflects the Coalition’s commitment to fiscal responsibility. However, he has yet to specify a precise timeline for achieving these savings.

In addition to his economic measures, Dutton reaffirmed key policies, including reducing permanent migration by 25 per cent, allowing first-home buyers to access their superannuation, funding critical housing infrastructure, and collaborating with states to tighten knife and bail laws. He assured Australians that health, aged care, veterans’ support, and the NDIS would remain priorities, while military spending would receive a boost to enhance national security.

With cost-of-living pressures dominating the political landscape, Dutton’s budget reply speech presented a clear alternative to the government’s long-term tax strategy. By focusing on immediate relief measures such as the fuel excise cut and energy cost reductions, he positioned himself as an advocate for Australian families seeking rapid financial relief.