> ...and you become a vassal state of those countries.
As an interesting aside, I would like to see Australia opening negotiations with India in case the US pulls back from the Pacific. If it turns out the US can't afford to fight China and Russia at the same time, I think signing up with India is probably the most workable path. Either as some sort of inferior ally or maybe trying to sign up as a full Indian state.
> Either as some sort of inferior ally or maybe trying to sign up as a full Indian state
This overstates India's power projection and understates Australia's.
Instead - Japan, Australia, and India have been workng on Trilateral Defense and Economic relations since the mid-2010s, with this being formalized with the Quad (which offically isn't a defense agreement yet).
SK and VN have also shown interest in joining the Quad, and honestly, it makes more sense in the Asia context.
On the economic and energy policy side, ik India+Japan have put their renewable eggs in the Blue and Brown Hydrogen strategy - use Australian NatGas and Coal to create Hydrogen cells. This also allows both India and Japan to minimize any dependencies on Chinese battery tech and supply chains and integrate Australia's economy closer with India+Japan [0][1][2][3], and Australian mining companies are being selected by India to help with the Lithium deposits in Jammu [4]
As an interesting aside, I would like to see Australia opening negotiations with India in case the US pulls back from the Pacific. If it turns out the US can't afford to fight China and Russia at the same time, I think signing up with India is probably the most workable path. Either as some sort of inferior ally or maybe trying to sign up as a full Indian state.