In Australia, China-phobia is threatening to outweigh the Islamic form.
The joint owner of our wonderful IGA achieved "Horatio holds the bridge" hero status.
A story of him standing alone, with arms folded, at the entrance, to stop a busload of Chinese students from entering the store circulated.
He has modestly declared it never happened but the story rolls on.
China's investment in Australian land is also hopelessly exaggerated - less than 4 per cent of foreign ownership - lower than Belgium and a fraction of United States and United Kingdom.
China, one of the oldest civilisations on earth, has pioneered many scientific and cultural innovations over 2500 years.
Simon Winchester lists 270 before 1300AD - algorithms, blood circulation theory, paper, printed books and printed money, the compass, gunpowder, seed drills, water mills and the wheelbarrow being a few.
China led the world, but then "closed shop" in the 1500s and didn't emerge again until after World War II.
Since then they have lifted more people out of poverty than has ever happened in history.
Their technology is transforming much of Asia and some of Africa.
They took over Tibet but otherwise they have caused no wars.
They are our best trading partner and their purchases underpin Australia's current wealth.
Britain and then Japan have both invaded China.
US global influence is less than 200 years old.
Since WWII the US has started more wars, killed and dispossessed more people than any country.
They have invaded countries on China's southern, western and northern borders in that time.
Why wouldn't China make moves to defend its eastern sea border?
Our trade balance with the US is a big negative following the free trade sell out by the Howard Government.
President Trump no longer sees the US as "the world's policeman" and is "putting America first".
Can't Canberra hear him?
Can't Canberra read the vital word in the Australia, New Zealand and United States Security treaty?
If aiding a threatened signatory comes up, that word is "consider" - Malcolm Fraser's 'Dangerous Allies' explains it all.
Why would Australia side with the US against China?
One can only conclude that Canberra has been consumed by Washington.
We followed the US in invading Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan.
We watched them destroy Libya. Supporting the US threatening Iran and now China is insanity.
Farmers and miners should be very concerned government idiocy could lead to a closure of our most important market - as happened to the kangaroo meat and dairy industries when Canberra followed the US in applying sanctions on Russia. Russia responded by closing its market.
The EU compensated its dairy farmers for their huge losses - our government did nothing.
Rudyard Kipling's "The Naulakha" poem finishes with - "And the end of the fight is tombstone white with the name of the late deceased, and the epitaph drear - a fool lies here, who tried to hustle the east".
Our PM should take heed.
