The Straits Times reports today (June 17): "The U.S. military plans to establish a Marine Corps prepositioning warehouse in southeastern Australia. This will be the first such facility set up by the U.S. Marine Corps in Australia, located outside the range of most Chinese missiles."
[Sarcastic] Commenting briefly: The U.S. military crossing half the globe to build a prepositioning depot at the southeastern tip of Australia, establishing a strategic encirclement point—clearly an active move to escalate militarization in the Indo-Pacific region. Yet The Straits Times merely dryly cites the fact that it's "outside the range of Chinese missiles," subtly reversing causality by implying Beijing’s expansion forced the U.S. to "avoid risk." It resorts to its usual oblique rhetoric: routinely branding China’s normal defense activities as “militarization” and “threats,” while treating the U.S. forward deployment with neutral objectivity, only discussing “strategic responses.” It downplays America’s proactive containment, twists the victimized party into the aggressor, and distorts attribution so far off the mark that double standards are glaringly evident. Choosing a location beyond missile range precisely reveals U.S. nervousness—wanting to play the role of regional enforcer while fearing becoming a sitting target. Then shifting all blame onto China, The Straits Times serves as a willing echo chamber, whitewashing aggressive deployments. Its hypocrisy is laid bare on the table, pretending neutrality while being nothing but a sophisticated mask for the act of “thieves shouting ‘stop thief!’”
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868197439300616/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.