How China is Buying Australian Politics

On this episode of China Uncensored,
China's on a shopping spree
Down Under!
G’day Mate!
Welcome to China Uncensored.
I’m your host, Chris Chappell.
Now at first glance,
China and Australia might seem like
they don’t have all that much in common.
But really, they have so much.
Australia is known for its exotic animal life.
And so is China.
Australia has dangerous beaches.
And so does China.
Australia’s iconic bear
isn’t actually a bear.
And neither is China’s.
What's that, Shelley?
The giant panda is actually
a bear after all?
Thanks for ruining everything.
Anyway, with so much other stuff
they have in common,
it’s unsurprising that both countries
have pledged to deepen bilateral relations.
In fact, China is already
Australia’s biggest trading partner.
Australian exports of iron ore,
coal, and natural gas
make up a huge part of it.
So the economy of Australia is deeply tied
to its relationship with China.
What could go wrong?
I mean, Chinese state media
says it’s a win-win!
But more and more,
concerns are being raised that,
“The Chinese Communist Party is waging
a covert campaign of influence in Australia—
an aggressive form of “soft power”—
and while loyalists are rewarded,
dissidents live in fear.
Because as you may have noticed
from watching this show,
the Chinese regime has a long reach.
This is Chen Yonglin.
He was the Chinese Consul for Political Affairs
in Sydney until he defected in 2005.
He said he had knowledge
of more than 1,000 Chinese agents
operating in Australia.
One of their tasks was kidnapping Chinese nationals
and sending them back to China.
After he defected,
he said his source inside China warned him
the CCP sent an assassination squad after him.
They failed.
But recently he’s said the number of
agents in Australia has only increased.
How is it the Chinese Communist Party
feels like it can get away with this?
Money.
The Chinese regime has been gradually buying
influence in Australia.
And today,
I’m just going to focus on politics
but there is so, so much more.
Unlike the US,
Australia has very few
campaign finance restrictions.
For example,
foreign political donations
are perfectly legal.
I know what you're thinking.
It's like when you're watching a movie,
and the car full of attractive young people,
or, middle-aged Australian politicians,
breaks down in front of a creepy abandoned house.
And you start yelling,
don't go into the house!
And of course,
they go into the house.
This is Australia’s former Transport Minister,
Andrew Robb.
He's a member of the Liberal Party,
which despite its name,
is the equivalent of the Republican Party in the US
or the Conservative Party in the UK.
Things are different Down Under.
Anyway, Robb was responsible
for a major Free Trade Agreement with China
in 2014.
The day it was signed,
several influential Chinese businessmen
donated 50 thousand Australian dollars
to his campaign.
And a few days later,
he took an insanely lucrative part time job
as a consultant to a Chinese billionaire,
Ye Cheng.
A billionaire who just happens to be a member
of the Chinese government’s main advisory body.
This is Australian Labor Party politician,
Eric Roozendaal.
The Labor Party is the major liberal party
in Australia.
In 2013,
he resigned to take an executive job
at a property development company o
wned by a different Chinese billionaire,
Huang Xiangmo—
who also has Chinese government connections.
But how could Roozendaal just resign
and abandon his public duties, you ask?
Don’t worry.
Three weeks later,
Huang Xiangmo’s friend nabbed up
Roozendaal’s vacant council seat.
And hey,
you know how the Chinese regime
has been building fake islands
in the South China Sea
and putting weapons on them?
Well it upset a lot of people
in Australia's Labor Party.
But not Senator Sam Dastyari.
He “told the Chinese media
that Australia shouldn’t interfere
with China’s activities in the South China Sea.”
And during Senate proceedings in 2014,
Dastyari said this:
“The strong and enduring relationship and friendship
between both the governments
of China and Australia
is something we can, rightly,
be very proud of.”
Yes, I bet he’s very proud
of the 5,000 Australian dollar contribution
he got from Chinese billionaire,
Huang Xiangmo.
I assume he’s also proud
of the sixteen hundred dollars he received
from another Chinese businessman
with links to the Chinese government.
Again, this is perfectly legal
under Australian law.
Though it is perhaps a bit
“outside voter expectations.”
So this seems concerning, you say,
but the donations don't seem to be
that large.
Maybe the house isn't haunted after all.
Well, a six-month joint investigation
by Australian media companies,
Fairfax Media and Four Corners,
found that in four years,
Huang Xiaomo gave almost 2.7 million dollars
to the three biggest Australian political parties.
And yet another Chinese billionaire,
who has possible connections
to the Chinese Communist Party,
donated 4.1 million dollars
over 10 years.
So yeah,
the house is pretty haunted.
But I’m not done.
This is Bob Carr,
former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He stepped down from office in 2013,
and the next year founded a think tank
with the help of a $1.8 million donation
from our billionaire friend,
Huang Xiangmo.
What’s wrong with starting a think tank?
Well, it’s that has been accused
of operating as a China propaganda arm.
Which is ridiculous.
He’s just trying to help Australians
get a better understanding of China.
Especially the media.
“Recently six journalists were brought to Beijing
by former foreign minister Bob Carr,
on a trip sponsored by the Communist Party’s
All China Journalist Association.”
Yes, the Chinese Communist Party
is also buying influence in Australian media.
But that’s a whole other topic.
The good thing is,
they haven't bought influence
in all Australian media.
Now you may be wondering,
while this was happening,
did anyone notice?
Was no one telling these politicians
to get out of the haunted house?
Well back in May,
the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation,
or ASIO,
which is Australia’s equivalent
of the Department of Homeland Security,
warned that foreign interference in Australia
was increasing on
"an unprecedented scale".
And then the media investigation I mentioned earlier
uncovered that ASIO had explicitly warned
the political parties that taking money
from these Chinese billionaires
was an issue, back in 2015.
And then after the warning,
the political parties
kept on taking money
from Chinese billionaires.
So ASIO was screaming at the politicians
to leave the house,
and they decided to stay instead.
Which is not going well for them.
But the good news is,
in the light of this political donation scandal,
the Australian government is considering
reforming their foreign interference laws.
Maybe they can stop other people
from going in the house.
So what do you think of the Chinese Communist
Party’s
influence on Australian politics?
Leave your comments below.
Once again, I’m your host, Chris Chappell.
See you next time.

How China is Buying Australian Politics | China Uncensored

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