Saturday 6 August 2022 07:34 AM Australia faces threat of 'high-intensity' conflict as China and Taiwan ... trends now
Australia is facing an increased risk of conflict and must develop long-range missiles to deter an invasion, a top defence expert has warned.
Australian National University emeritus professor Paul Dibb has sounded the alarm about a 'high intensity' conflict developing within the country's 'strategic environment'.
'Let's be very frank, it's code-name for a certain country to our distant north,' he said.
His warning comes as tensions continue to build between China and Taiwan.
Taiwan views itself as an independent country, while China views it as a breakaway province that needs to be 'reunified'.
Australia must develop long range missiles to deter an invasion with the country facing an increased risk of conflict, a top defence expert has warned
Australian National University emeritus professor Paul Dibb has sounded the alarm about a 'high intensity' conflict developing within the country's 'strategic environment'
'China is an aggressive, autocratic communist power,' Professor Dibb told ABC.
'According to Xi Jinping, the time is now on the side of the People's Republic of China to revenge the century of humiliation in the 19th century, and to take over as the leading power in our region from the United States.'
Professor Dibb warned that if a conflict broke out Australia would be dragged into it to support the United States - or risk destroying the ANZUS alliance.
Professor Dibb is the former director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation and former deputy secretary for strategy and intelligence in the Department of Defence.
He was the primary author of the 1997 Defence White Paper, a forerunner to the
