China Plays a Clumsy Nuclear Card

Beijing bluntly warns Australia against joining U.S. and UK pact—or else be targeted with nuclear weapons

The Chinese military displays its DF-5B missiles during a military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. The Chinese regime may put its nuclear forces on "hair-trigger" alert. Rolex Dela Pena/AFP/Getty Images

Commentary

If there were ever any doubts about how China will comport itself as a superpower, there are fewer today than there were yesterday. This week, in a televised interview with an apparent spokesman for the Chinese regime, the world learned that Australia will be considered a valid target of nuclear weapons if it acquires nuclear-powered submarines.