I'm John Batscher with Colonel Grant Noes.

The United States Marine Corps retired,

author of when China attacks.

Right now we're speaking of Grant's essay in the new book

Boiling Moat about the preparation for a war in the Western Pacific, East Asia

with the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation

Army, Navy, and Air Force.

But now we turn to real-time right now.

Grant New Caledonia to the east of Australia, Solomon Islands to the north of Australia,

Papua New Guinea to the north, west of Australia.

All three are in play if I follow you reporting carefully because the People's Republic of China is looking to make them either basing or denied basing to its adversaries in the event of a conflict.

Let's start with New Caledonia. to its adversaries in the event of a conflict.

Let's start with New Caledonia.

After we spoke the last time about the disruption there,

there were riots, there were burning of, I believe,

automobile dealerships that had to do with democracy. But you were very clear that the

China always has a hand in these violent disruptions. The president of France flew out to

New Caledonia, it's a long flight because New Caledonia is not

independent, it's a colonial legacy of the French in the Pacific and now several

days later New Caledonia is a target of the Chinese.

Did McCrone speak to that? Is France aware of that?

Some French are.

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