Mike Cherney

Building this island base out in the Paracels doesn't necessarily change the picture for the South China Sea dispute.

However, these bases would be more useful in a Taiwan conflict versus their Spratly Island bases.

The Spratly Island bases are further south.

They would be more easily cut off.

by China's enemies.

And the facilities that they're building seem like there could be a runway.

This lagoon that has emerged could possibly hold submarines, Coast Guard ships, maybe even an aircraft carrier.

So there is some military utility to this for Beijing.

Albanese successfully sold an argument to voters that he was a pair of stable hands and best suited to deal with some of this Trump-related disruption. His conservative opponent, Peter Dutton, to many voters perhaps came off as a little bit too Trump-like. Dutton did support some Trump-like policies like slashing the government workforce and ending working from home for some government employees.

Albanese successfully sold an argument to voters that he was a pair of stable hands and best suited to deal with some of this Trump-related disruption. His conservative opponent, Peter Dutton, to many voters perhaps came off as a little bit too Trump-like. Dutton did support some Trump-like policies like slashing the government workforce and ending working from home for some government employees.

And I think in the end, that did put off some centrist voters.

And I think in the end, that did put off some centrist voters.

Albanese did have to walk a fine line with Trump during the campaign because he's now going to have to work with Trump on trade talks to try to reduce Australia's tariff rate to zero. Australia also plans to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S., And there are some concerns about whether the U.S. has the shipbuilding capacity to make that happen.

Albanese did have to walk a fine line with Trump during the campaign because he's now going to have to work with Trump on trade talks to try to reduce Australia's tariff rate to zero. Australia also plans to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S., And there are some concerns about whether the U.S. has the shipbuilding capacity to make that happen.

So Albanese is going to have to figure out a way to make sure that the Trump administration continues to support that plan.

So Albanese is going to have to figure out a way to make sure that the Trump administration continues to support that plan.

Thank you.

Thank you.