Around three quarters of all transatlantic cables in the northern hemisphere pass through or near its waters – yet Dublin spends just 0.2 per cent of GDP on defence.
Talk of face-saving and exit ramps is not for our benefit, nor really for Putin’s, but for Ukraine’s.
The Coronavirus coverup, assaults on democracy and the appalling genocide of the Uyghur Muslims mean that the world must distance itself from the CCP.
It allows for criticism and negotiation provided the West stands together to call out abuses.