This episode marks the 4th anniversary of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, which shows no sign of ending. Australia is providing some help - but not nearly enough. 

The international environment remains chaotic - and we pose the difficult question: if Australian governments are incapable of introducing a digital passenger arrival card, what hope is there that we will ever be able to build a nuclear-powered submarine?

Donald $Trump's tariff war with the world continues and Australia has now been hit with a 15% rate, which of course will be met with earnest expressions of concern rather than a meaningful response. If you think Trump's aim of acquiring Greenland is over, think again

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Before we get to the Singapore air show, some more words about US isolationism and a country that seems to be fracturing.

Something that Australian politicians seem to be sadly unaware of. 

There was pushback against the latest report from the US Congressional Research Service - a very authoritative group - that once again raised the possibility of Australia not receiving any Virginia class submarines.

This was in the form of a heated response from Defence Minister Marles, that everything is perfect - but where is the evidence for that?

The project will receive an injection of an additional $600 million this year, meaning that the path to reaching 2.3% of GDP will be even slower than previously believed.

From the air show, some good news about the growth path for Apache helicopters and also a reminder that NH90 helicopters - the parent design of the scrapped Taipan fleet- remain in great demand.

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Before discussing the Prime Minister's strange reluctance to call a Royal Commission into the Bondi terrorist attack we have to talk about the increasingly erratic behaviour of Donald Trump. Threats from the US to take over Greenland are increasing, with greater tariffs on European countries now also part of the mix.

This is because Trump claimed the Europeans weren't doing enough to defend the island so countries have sent small military delegations there to do some research - but the US President now claims this is an escalation.

Here, Defence Minister Richard Marles has responded in his usual spineless fashion refusing to comment on US behaviour saying instead he thinks NATO will remain united when all sensible analysis comes to the opposite conclusion. 

It's time for Australia to have an open, mature debate about the nature of the US alliance and what we expect to get out of it. The country expects leadership - and it isn't getting it.

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The adventure continues with a late arrival in Kashgar - also known as Kashi - and a crowded program of educational and cultural events. The city has a very long history and is a colourful mix of cultures and religions.

Then it was a flight to Ili, the capital of the Kazakh autonomous prefecture which was different again from Urumqi and Kashgar. Treats included milk beer and a visit to the former governor's palace - a frequent residence for exiles from eastern parts of China.

Then a return to Urumqi for the final part of the tour and one of the most consequential events - a visit to the Exhibition of Counterterrorism and Deradicalisation in Xinjiang. This explained why - in often gruesome detail - why security crackdowns have been necessary.

The quick summary of the 8 day program - Xinjiang is friendly, interesting, and well worth a visit.

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APDR was invited for a media tour to China’s Xinjiang autonomous region in September and we decided that listeners will be interested in more details than have so far been reported.

This podcast is part travel log, part analysis and part personal commentary about the experience. We set the scene with some thoughts about China and the first part of the visit to Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang. Part 2 next week will begin with arriving in Kashgar.

Comments on our website asiapacificdefencereporter.com are welcome, as are emails to: [email protected]

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