China expert says Australia has 'serious and profound' problem as Beijing 'weaponises' expatriates to interfere in domestic elections
Senior fellow at the Hudson Institute Dr John Lee said the People's Republic of China (PLA) had spent 'enormous efforts' influencing and interfering with Australian domestic politics to advance its interests.
Dr Lee, who was formerly a principal adviser on Asia to the Australian government, said the Labor Party may have benefitted from the interference, but insisted it 'creates problematic structural problems for social cohesion in Australian society and politics'.
Dr Lee's comments to The Daily Telegraph come after the masthead revealed Taiwanese officials were briefed by DFAT that the CCP were attempting to influence Australian elections via the significant number of expatriated Chinese in Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on a six-day trip to China, where he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.
'There is nothing wrong with Albanese visiting China in and of itself,' Dr Lee said.
'However, Beijing views relationships with regional countries in inherently competitive terms in that its primary aim is to encourage distance or division between the US and regional allies.'
Dr Lee said Australia needed to impose 'non-negotiable anchor points' with countries like China to insulate it from harmful interference and to protect its ability to make its own decisions 'in our own best interests'.
'I don't think Albanese has done that,' he said.
Dr Lee said Mr Albanese's apparent enthusiasm for 'narrowing differences' with China instead of the United States was a 'radical departure' from Australian governmental tradition in upholding the ANZUS alliance.
Despite Mr Albanese's efforts, there has been no 'significant lessening' in China's interference, militarily or politically, Dr Lee said.
Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge said President Xi wanted other economies to be 'much more dependent' on China's and wanted to use that economic dependence as a 'weapon'.
'Mr Albanese seems naively unaware of this and is over there trying to grow our dependency on China,' he said.
Mr Shoebridge said the Prime Minister may think he had 'stabilised the relationship' with China, but as Beijing casts a shadow over Taiwan and sends three warships around Australia conducting live fire exercises, the relationship was not one 'based in reality'.
'There's growing concern and doubt about Australia as an ally and as a partner in collective deterrence of China in Washington and that doubt will be growing in other partner capitals too, like Seoul and Tokyo,' Mr Shoebridge said.
'Because while the Prime Minister talks about investing in relationships, the only relationship he's investing his personal time in is China.'
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