Sunday 7 August 2022 04:07 PM The Project dismisses China threat in Australia as they 'own half the joint': ... trends now
Comedian Tommy Little has brushed off any potential threat China poses to Australia, claiming there would be no point as Beijing 'owns half the joint already'.
The Project on Sunday discussed how the communist superpower launched ballistic missiles into waters around Taiwan and what the show of force means for Australia.
The widely condemned military intimidation tactic came after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the disputed island last week - a move that infuriated China sparking threats of war against the west.
The island nation, backed by the US and Japan, broke away from the mainland in 1949 after the civil war.
It has democratically-elected leaders and fiercely opposes reunification and the totalitarian rule of Beijing.
But President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated he plans to take over Taiwan by 2027 as part of the 'great rejuvenation of China' using military force if necessary.
The Project's Tommy Little (pictured) questioned why China would be a threat to Australia as they 'own half the joint already'
The current affairs program played a news story on China launching ballistic missiles (pictured) which landed in waters around Taiwan
'Do we have to get involved here?' he asked. 'I feel like China aren't going to be a threat to us, they own half the joint already,' Little said.
'Why are they going to attack a joint when they own half of it?'
A handful of audience members began to laugh at the comedians cheeky response.
But co-host Hamish McDonald expressed his view that the threat of China needed to be taken seriously.
'You've got to imagine the reality that China might want to retake Taiwan by force,' he said.
'And put it in the context of what happened in Russia and Ukraine earlier this year, I think when that happened, the world did respond.
'This is much closer to us. I think the implications for us is far greater, to be honest.'
McDonald added that while China taking control of Taiwan wouldn't pose a 'direct, physical threat to the Australian mainland', there was the
