Around 2005, the Chinese government
began pushing its policy of
huaren canzheng, or “ethnic Chinese participation in politics overseas”. It was a new tactic in the Chinese Communist Party’s “united front” strategy to gain political influence abroad by helping trusted members of the Chinese diaspora gain political influence.
Since then, ethnic Chinese people supported by Beijing have begun joining political parties and running for office in
Canada,
New Zealand, Britain, and
Australia. The strategy is most advanced in Canada, but it’s been building in Australia, too.
The baleful consequence of this new situation is that Chinese communities, already seriously under-represented in parliaments, now find themselves represented by people whose loyalties are in doubt. The CCP has poisoned the well.
Liu’s Links With Various Organisations
It’s with these developments in mind that
questions have been raised about the alleged links of the newly elected Liberal member for Chisholm, Gladys Liu, to organisations associated with the Chinese Communist Party.
Investigations by the
ABC and
Nine newspapers have revealed that Liu has been closely connected with a number of organisations in Australia and China that are directed by or closely linked to the CCP’s powerful
United Front Work Department.
One of the department’s tasks is to co-opt and guide ethnic Chinese people living abroad so they act in the interests of the Communist Party. Its size and importance have increased sharply under President Xi Jinping, who has described United Front as one of the party’s “
magic weapons”.
One prominent United Front organisation is the Guangdong provincial branch of the China Overseas Exchange Association, an
overseas propaganda and influence outfit headed by high-ranking party officials. Documents
show that Liu has been a council member of this organisation.
She has also
confirmed she has been an honorary president of the United Chinese Commerce Association of Australia.
The Jiangmen association was one of the organisations that backed a
protest on the streets of Melbourne in 2016 against a ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague,
rejecting China’s claims to much of the South China Sea.
Liu initially said she “
cannot recall” being a member of the China Overseas Exchange Association, but
later released a statement saying she had an honorary role with the group in 2011 but was no longer associated with it.
She has
previously said she is unaware of any Communist Party links with the other organisations that she participates in and that she has only joined them to promote trade and community activities.
Questionable Donors
Liu has been an energetic supporter of the Liberal cause. She has
run for office in Victoria a number of times and was once employed as an adviser to Liberal leader Ted Baillieu.
But she is perhaps most admired in the Liberal Party for her fundraising ability. Her
claim to be “one of the most effective fundraisers in the Victorian division” of the party is almost certainly true.
Then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull refused to have dinner with the donors because he had been warned off by our intelligence services due to “security concerns”. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and opposition leader Matthew Guy did likewise.
Why Liu Must Answer To Parliament
Even though Liu has denied having links with the Chinese Communist Party, there are now serious questions swirling around her and legitimate doubts about whether she owes “
allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power”.
Those words are taken from section 44 of the Constitution. While many federal politicians have been disqualified from parliament because they have turned out to be citizens of another country, the question of allegiance to a foreign power is a far weightier reason for disqualification.
Parliament must now grapple with Liu’s case. If there is enough evidence to indicate she may owe allegiance to a foreign power, then parliament ought to refer her to the High Court, where the claims can be tested.
Otherwise, a dark cloud will hang over her as long as she sits in the House of Representatives. And a dark cloud will overshadow the Liberal Party, because more and more people will want to know why it stuck with Liu when it knew that intelligence agencies had concerns strong enough to deter the prime minister from meeting with her donors.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.