@Phaedrus The choice has been made:

"Mearsheimer told his audience that the US is going to do everything it can to halt China’s rise and prevent it from becoming the regional hegemon in the eastern hemisphere, and that Australia should align with the US in that battle or else it would face the wrath of Washington."

I can see the narrative here : The US is is wicked falling empire that is trying everything it can to maintain it's grip of power,a bad opresser. China on the other hand is rising power trying to challenge US dominance by becoming the regional hegemon in the eastern hemisphere, representing these opressed,by becoming a more powerful oppressor, therefore good, I see. But I'm afraid people from Korea, Japan, Thailand,Laos,Philippines will have a very different opinion. You know,the "oppressed people"often disagree with these who think they can represent them. The narrative itself is West-centered(neo left western intellectual centered more specifically) by painting non-western countries as the helpless pitiful "opressed" that needs to be saved by a compassionate, moral Postcolonia critic who will defend them again the evil "oppressor",The only role these "oppressed countries" have to play are the role of victim that is preslected by the narrative. As for whether the real threat and these countries are confronting is a Evil empire trying to undermine their sovereignty, and whether the problems they are trying to deal with are the products of colonism,these are not their concern.