“We have no affiliation with, nor are we instructed by, the Chinese Communist Party or any party, for that matter,” said President Xin De Wang in response to concerns that the organisation has been exerting CCP influence in Tasmania.
But Clive Hamilton, Professor of Public Ethics, believes otherwise.
During the program, Wang shared his beliefs in his native Mandarin that the role of his CCP-backed Buddhist organisation was to “hold the latest policies enacted by the motherland as guidance for everything we do.”
He continued, “We will hold the teaching of the Great Holy Sakyamuni Buddha as guidance for everything we do. And we will do our utmost to requite the firm embrace of the motherland.” Wang declined to comment on his remarks when approached by The Australian.
Hamilton believes that Wang’s role as the head of the Tasmanian branch of the ACPPRC is directly connected to the Chinese regime’s efforts to extend its influence using soft power, this time using “red Buddhism”—where Chinese Buddhism is remoulded to suit communist ideology.
The University of Tasmania Sandy Bay campus hosted Clive Hamilton on Oct. 2 as he introduced his book “Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia” that documents the CCP’s efforts to extend its political and cultural influence in Australia.
Hamilton said after studying the CCP’s influence operations on the mainland, he could see evidence of the same methods being used to influence politics in Tasmania.
But according to The Guardian, the lack of transparency and zero public consultation around the Cambria Green development meant that news of the development was not well received.
Hamilton said he was not encouraging opposition to ethnic Chinese investing in Australia. “Of course plenty of Chinese investment in Tasmania is fine. It’s legal, it’s legitimate, it contributes to Tasmania’s development.”
He said that his concerns about China-backed investments were regarding the subordinate position of all Chinese business entities in the political system of China’s ruling CCP.
“Every major Chinese company, including privately owned ones, has a branch of the Chinese Communist Party within the company, and it’s not just a formality,” Hamilton said.
“The secretary of that branch can overrule the CEO of the company if instructed to do so from Beijing.”
He said that local Australian governments need to be carrying out serious due diligence on China-based companies to “decide whether they are fit and proper investors for this state.”
In his public statement, Wang also addressed the public’s concern regarding Chinese entities investing in Tasmania.
“If Chinese investors show interest in Tasmania’s future and are willing to invest and help ... then we encourage it,” Wang said of the Tasmanian ACPPRC branch, “provided it complies with federal, state, and local law and policies, and is in the best interests of Tasmania and the Tasmanian people.”
