Latest news with #ACRI
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Leaked emails reveal jaw-dropping campaign to get an Aussie CEO FIRED - after he levelled an explosive claim about the Australia-China Relations Institute on social media
Leaked emails show how the head of a China-focused thinktank tried to have a cybersecurity expert sacked, after he repeatedly highlighted how the institution received funding from Chinese Communist Party-owned businesses. Robert Potter, an Australian who runs his own multinational cybersecurity firm, has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) receives funding from two Chinese state-owned companies. ACRI, based at the University of Technology, Sydney, is partially-funded by the China Construction Bank and John Holland, both state-owned Chinese enterprises. The institute seeks to study the relationship between China and Australia and was established following a $1.8million donation from Chinese billionaire Xiangmo Huang in 2013. In 2019, Mr Huang had his visa torn up and was banned from re-entering Australia after ASIO accused him of being 'amenable to conducting acts of foreign interference', which he denied. Mr Potter claims he wrote to ACRI's director, Professor James Laurenceson, to outline his concerns about ACRI's ongoing funding arrangements and its alleged lack of disclosure in media reports. However, Mr Potter claims his email fell on deaf ears, so he has voiced his concerns publicly on X on several occasions over the past few years. Last month, for example, Mr Potter highlighted ACRI's funding arrangements when sharing an opinion piece Prof Laurenceson wrote about how Australia's strengthening economic relationship with China could deliver more security. 'James never disclosed that he's (allegedly) literally payed by China (sic),' Mr Potter alleged. 'His institution is funded by donations from two state owned firm(s). The founding donation for his center came from a guy expelled for foreign influence.' While ACRI receives funding from two Chinese-state owned businesses, Mr Laurenceson himself is paid by UTS. He does not receive any external funding and it is not suggested otherwise. ACRI's website also states: 'Industry partners do not provide strategic direction nor do they shape or influence UTS:ACRI's academic activities. UTS:ACRI has a fully independent, academically rigorous and transparent research agenda.' In response to these repeated public statements, Mr Laurenceson wrote to the Australia National University (ANU), where Mr Potter holds an honorary appointment as a visiting fellow at the Centre for European Studies, to complain about his behaviour. When he failed to receive a response, Mr Laurenceson sent a follow-up email expressing his frustration that the matter had not been dealt with and that Mr Potter was still employed by the institution. 'I was surprised not to receive a response given Mr Potter's behaviour and had hoped for this to be resolved at a centre level,' he wrote. 'If this is not possible, however, I will pursue other avenues.' After being fobbed off by ANU, Mr Laurenceson sent another email on July 23 - a day after Mr Potter's latest public comments - to reiterate his complaint. 'Mr Potter appears to remain affiliated with your centre,' Mr Laurenceson wrote. 'He also continues to direct abuse at me, claiming that I am 'literally paid by China'.' 'In the absence of any communication and resolution, I can only assume that his behaviour is deemed tolerable.' The Daily Mail approached Mr Laurenceson for comment. A spokesperson for UTS insisted that ACRI has 'stringent guidelines to preserve the independence of its research and commentary'. 'Like most institutes, it is funded by a range of sources which have no influence or impact on its work; these are publicly disclosed and include both Australian and Chinese industry partners,' the spokesperson added. 'A number of sustained, unfounded and personal allegations have been made by one individual about Professor Laurenceson over a prolonged period of time. 'As these have been made from a staff member at ANU using his university credentials, Professor Laurenceson has brought these to the attention of ANU to take whatever action they deem appropriate. 'UTS:ACRI director Professor James Laurenceson is a widely regarded, well respected academic. He is paid by the university and is not the recipient of external funding by any external organisations.' The Daily Mail does not suggest Prof Laurenceson has been engaged in any acts of foreign influence whatsoever, only that he has faced calls to be more transparent about ACRI's funding arrangements in media articles he has written. Mr Potter argues that Prof Laurenceson should disclose ACRI's funding arrangements when he writes articles for publications such as the Australian Financial Review, The Australian or when he appears on ABC programs. Prof Laurenceson, a lifelong academic who has held posts at universities in China and Japan, has written hundreds of articles and academic papers about Australia's relationship with China over the last 15 years. Titles include: 'Don't be scared, China's plan is good for Australia'; 'Australia's great, untapped resource … Chinese investment'; 'Why all the worry about China?'; 'Why we shouldn't be so worried about China buying the farm' and 'By standing up to China, Australia may end up standing alone'. Mr Potter, who co-founded cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 and the Cyber Activities Group, has spent the past few years training Ukrainian soldiers in how to ward off potential cyber attacks from Russian hackers.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia Tackles Diplomatic Row Over Chinese-Owned Port
The Australian government is confronting a fresh diplomatic dilemma with Beijing: how to fulfill a pledge to regain control of the strategic Port of Darwin from a Chinese company. The Australia-China Relations Institute thinks the issue has been driven by domestic politics and will not trigger a downwards spiral in bilateral relations. ACRI Director James Laurenceson talks about Canberra's plan and the global trade turmoil on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade."
Bloomberg
10-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Australia Tackles Diplomatic Row Over Chinese-Owned Port
The Australian government is confronting a fresh diplomatic dilemma with Beijing: how to fulfill a pledge to regain control of the strategic Port of Darwin from a Chinese company. The Australia-China Relations Institute thinks the issue has been driven by domestic politics and will not trigger a downwards spiral in bilateral relations. ACRI Director James Laurenceson talks about Canberra's plan and the global trade turmoil on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade." (Source: Bloomberg)
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Data shows shift in views towards Australia's relationship with the United States and China
After three years of conflict, leadership changes and now trade wars, the views of many Australians towards the United States and China are shifting, Vote Compass data shows. About 47 per cent of Vote Compass respondents believe Australia should be less close to the US, about a third believe the relationship should stay the same and just over 17 per cent want it to be closer. In March, a poll by the Lowy Institute found Australians' trust in the US to act responsibly had dropped since Donald Trump's return to the White House, down 20 points compared to last year, to 36 per cent. Despite this, the poll found 80 per cent said the alliance with the United States was very or fairly important for Australia's security. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 United States Studies Centre director of research Jared Mondschein said while polling indicated most Australians don't like Mr Trump, many support the alliance continuing. "I think that Australians really do see that the alliance is more than just the president, more than just one person, and it actually has implications for a broader array of issues," he said. Dr Mondschein said polling showed Australians felt more comfortable with the relationship with the US than China, despite "unprecedented uncertainty" in the US. Jared Mondschein said Australia has never been more consequential or influential in Washington, including in this Trump administration. ( ABC News: Billy Cooper ) When it comes to Australia's relationship with China, Vote Compass data shows respondents are split. About 32 per cent of respondents said Australia should deepen its ties with China, while about 34 per cent disagreed and about 30 per cent said they are neutral. James Laurenceson, who is the director of the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) at the University of Technology Sydney, said the data suggested Australians understood the complexity of the relationship with China. Last year, a poll conducted by the institute found 61 per cent of Australians believed in building a strong relationship with China. The ACRI found 64 per cent of respondents expressed concerns about Australia's relationship with China — a 10-point drop from 2021. "They recognise the benefits, including jobs for Australians. I think that nuance is well appreciated by the Australian public," Professor Laurenceson said. James Laurenceson believes there is a lack of deep understanding about the Australia-China relationship. ( ABC News: Billy Cooper ) However, Professor Laurenceson said he believed generally there was a lack of "deep understanding". "And simply, when you don't understand something particularly well, it's easy to be fearful," he said. "On the other hand, when it comes to America, our news is full of American sources, we actually feel quite comfortable with that system, even if we don't always like the decision coming out of the White House. "We understand it, but that's not true when it comes to China." In 2023, Anthony Albanese met with Xi Jinping in Beijing, which was the first visit to mainland China by a leader in seven years. ( AAP: Lukas Coch ) The ACRI poll found 61 per cent said Australia can enjoy a good relationship with both China and the US at the same time, while 38 per cent believed Australia's relationship with China weakens our alliance with the US. Dr Mondschein said Australia and the US were working more closely in the Indo-Pacific region and the views towards China have become more aligned between the US and its allies and partners. He said the US and its allies were also increasingly aligned on the importance of working together to face the challenge of China. Data shows support for extra defence spending Last week, the Coalition pledged to It would increase overall defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next five years, which is more ambitious than Labor's eight-year plan to lift defence spending to 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2033. Last week, Peter Dutton announced the Coalition would spend an additional $21 billion on the military if elected on May 3. ( ABC News: Ian Cutmore ) Vote Compass data shows 52.9 per cent of respondents believe Australia should spend much or somewhat more on its military. This is up 11 percentage points from 2022 when 41.9 per cent said the government should spend more on defence. Dr Mondschein said given China's nuclear capacity and navy fleet had grown it was understandable Australia had changed its perception of what was required in the region. However, a survey of 1,500 Australians in February and April for the War Studies Research Group at UNSW Canberra found one third of respondents thought more money should be spent on defence, and the majority felt current spending was appropriate. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on UNSW Canberra's Richard Dunley said while the survey showed there was good support for the Australian Defence Force generally and reasonable support for its growth, that dropped when respondents were asked whether more money should be spent. "I think that you're definitely seeing both political parties here being kind of ahead of public opinion, or sort of pushing back against that kind of sentiment," he said. Vote Compass data shows 78 per cent of respondents intending to vote for the Coalition believe more should be spent on the military compared to 47 per cent of support among those voting for Labor. Dr Dunley said the UNSW survey showed support for an increase in defence spending was lowest among those aged 18 to 29, which may be on account of other pressures, including the cost of living. "I think there's clearly been an effort to try and refocus on national security," he said. "I just don't think that, from what we've seen in terms of these numbers, that is necessarily going to cut through with the electorate this time around." Vote Compass is an educational tool designed to promote electoral literacy and civic engagement. While not a conventional public opinion poll, Vote Compass responses can be analysed using statistical methods similar to those used in polling to try to adjust for sampling bias. Responses have been weighted by gender, age, education, language, religion, place of residence and past vote to account for the selection effects of the sample, enabling us to make statistical inferences about the Australian population.
