Aussie PM defends ally’s communist party ties
AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday staunchly defended a Hong Kong-born politician who is u nder mou nt i ng pre s su re over her links to t he Chinese Communist Party.
Gladys Liu, the first ChineseAustralian woman elected to the country’s parliament, has been accused of being a member of organisations linked to China’s ruling party.
P ubl ic br oadc a ster A BC revealed that Liu was a member of severa l orga nisat ions l i n ked to t he United Front Work Department – a powerf ul group t hat promotes t he part y’s interests at home and o v e r s e a s , i n c l u d i n g b y re c r u it i ng et h n ic Ch i nese abroad.
Liu initially claimed she could not remember being a member of one of those organisations, the China Overseas Exchange Association, but has now admitted she had previously held a role.
Morrison on Wednesday said Liu’s initial denial came in a “clumsy interview” by a new member of parliament.
He level led a l legat ions of racism at critics, say ing t here was a “ver y g r ubby undertone” to t he quest ions su rrounding her a lleged ties to a foreign government.
“It is a ridiculous suggestion and I think it is an insult to every single Chinese-Australian in this country,” he told reporters in Canberra.
That was a charge angrily denied by the opposition Labour Party.
“The only person linking these specific and serious concerns about Ms Liu to the e nt i re Chinese-Australian population is Scott Morrison and he should stop,” said Malaysian-born Labor senator Penny Wong.
The Herald Sun repor ted t hat Morrison’s Libera l Part y was warned about Liu’s activities by Australia’s spy agency ASIO before choosing her as a candidate for a f iercely contested seat wit h a large Chinese population.
She also admitted she had served as the honorary president of the United Chinese Commerce Association of Australia and the Australian Jiangmen General Commercial Association but had since terminated her affiliations.
Australia recently adopted a series of measures to limit foreign interference in politics, after it emerged that both parties took money from a Beijing-connected bil l i onaire who has now been banned from the country. AFP
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