Fears about China's influence are a rerun of attitudes to Japan 80 years ago
- Written by Honae Cuffe, PhD Candidate, History, University of Newcastle
July 1 marked the 80th anniversary of Australia’s iron ore embargo against Japan. The official reason was resource conservation, but the ban was really driven by a fear of Japan – which had been buying up assets like iron ore and scrap metal – gaining a stronghold in Australia that threatened our sovereignty and security.
Despit...