MELBOURNE, Australia—An Australian lawmaker is facing a political backlash over her ties to Beijing-backed organizations, a sign of deepening sensitivities about perceived meddling by China in national affairs.
Hong Kong-born Gladys Liu said in a statement that she once was a member of an organization linked to a Chinese Communist Party agency that seeks to rally support overseas for the party’s policies, having earlier said that she couldn’t recall any such links. Ms. Liu, who represents the electoral district of Chisholm, which includes leafy suburbs in eastern Melbourne, has lived in Australia for three decades.
Her statement followed an interview with broadcaster Sky News in which Ms. Liu declined to label as unlawful China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and didn’t accept the characterization of Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator. Sky News is owned by News Corp, which publishes The Wall Street Journal.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended Ms. Liu, saying she had given a clumsy interview and had subsequently explained herself and the circumstances. He said any suggestion Ms. Liu was in cahoots with the Chinese government was ridiculous and “an insult to every single Chinese-Australian in this country.”
Ms. Liu didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Opposition lawmakers have pushed for scrutiny of Ms. Liu’s ties to China. Labor Senate leader Penny Wong called on the prime minister to assure parliament that Ms. Liu was “fit and proper” to be a lawmaker, while her party has pushed for the government to address the matter in parliament.
Australia has sought to balance a deeper relationship with China, its biggest trade partner, with concerns about Beijing’s foreign-policy ambitions. Acting on advice from intelligence officials that Beijing was meddling in everything from politics to media and college campuses, Canberra last year enacted new campaign finance and counterespionage laws modeled on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act.
In February, the conservative government rejected a prominent Chinese political donor’s application for citizenship and canceled his residence visa while he was overseas because of concerns he was too close to Beijing. China in turn accused Australia of being the “most unfriendly” nation toward its rising economic and geopolitical clout.
In her statement, Ms. Liu said she held an honorary role with Guangdong Overseas Exchange Association in 2001 but was no longer part of the organization. She also confirmed associations with two other Australian-Chinese organizations, saying membership of such community groups helped her to support Australia’s trade ties with Hong Kong.
She said nations claiming rights in the South China Sea should resolve disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law.
Ms. Liu became an Australian citizen in 1992, one week before the birth of her first child, and in 2003 she joined the Liberal Party, becoming a spokesperson for the party in Melbourne’s ethnic Chinese community.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-links-to-china-heighten-alarm-over-beijings-reach-in-australia-11568364121
2019-09-13 08:42:00Z
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