As I posted, China fights border wars eg with India in the Himalayas, with Vietnam there is a history of border wars, and they have fought with the Japanese (in Taiwan & China) & in Korea. Disputed borders are an unfortunate reality but are far removed from large scale invasion and warfare such as we’ve seen in Ukraine.
Tibet has an unclear (to me) historical relationship with China. I see the 1950 liberation of Tibet as an invasion given Tibet had a different language, culture, religion, currency & government, and the liberation involved killing a lot of Tibetans. But I know enough to understand it’s not that simple.
For example, the most important position spiritually and politically in Tibet is held by the Dalai Lama. There is a long history of Tibet seeking Beijing’s approval once they have located the next Dalai Lama. (Now they won’t even have a chance to identify the next Dalai Lama - but I’m focusing on history in this post not the current situation in Tibet).
Why would Tibet historically require China’s approval of their head of state if they are separate nations? Maybe it’s more ceremonial as per our Gov General? But China is correct in claiming for long periods Tibet was part of sovereign China.
There are some similarities between Tibet and Taiwan, and some important differences. The most significant difference is the cost of invading Tibet to the Chinese was low, and the benefits of access to water and resources immense. The cost of invading Taiwan will be high if a democratic alliance supports Tibet.
China doesn’t initiate military conflict with western nations, they have never colonised foreign lands, and their strong influences around the world, including their enormous diaspora are achieved by economic trade, investment and emigration, not by military means. This contrasts enormously with warmongering, colonising, invading (western) nations.
To depict China as an enemy of Australia - or hostile to Australia - is not a position based on reality. How are they an enemy - because they refused to buy our wine and barley for a few months? Because they discourage freedom of navigation passage through the Taiwan Strait? Because their diplomats speak like wolves?
Hostility at an international level is invading Iraq to protect economic interests, trying to eliminate the Vietcong in Vietnam, it’s not throwing some gravel in front of a foreign plane that you don’t think should be flying there (as the Chinese did recently to us).
The propensity to go to foreign lands to fight wars is something that Russia does, it is something that we (the US/UK/Aust alliance) unfortunately do. China has a history of fighting wars at their border which includes claiming Tibet and Taiwan - two countries which they have governed historically.
The original idea in my post on the Ukraine thread was that China is very different to Russia. There are many other differences such as (relatively less) violence within (gun laws), cultural views (China has quite an insular focus), the way in which China seeks influence and respect internationally, but these ideas are beyond discussing in this post.