 "China-linked group accused of meddling in Australian elections as country heads to poll on May 3")
As Australia gears up for an important election, the latest viral video suggested that a Chinese Communist Party-linked group have mobilised volunteers to support an independent candidate ahead of the polls. The video that spurred allegations of foreign interference featured members of the Australia Hubei Association, a Chinese diaspora group with known links to the United Front Work Department (UFWD).
It is pertinent to note that UFWD is part of the CCP’s network that seeks to advance China’s influence abroad. The group has dispatched volunteers to assist candidates in the Australian federal election . Last week, Tharini Rouwette, the founder of COMPELL, an organisation dedicated to multiculturalism in Australian politics, shared a video on TikTok showing these volunteers at work, Nikkei Asia reported.
In the video, the volunteers were seen representing the member of parliament, Monique Ryan, in the seat of Kooyong in Melbourne. “Australia Hubei Association President Ji Jianmin – how do I say it - demanded that Chinese people support her,” the volunteer said in Mandarin, as quoted by Nikkei Asia.
“Her ideas are more well-suited to the Chinese diaspora’s needs. She can speak for the Chinese people, that’s why we support her,” another volunteer was heard saying in the video. Meanwhile, local news outlets have been reporting that the same group plans to send out dozens of Chinese volunteers to support the Labour Minister, Clare O’Neil and a Greens Party candidate in the Victoria electorate of Hotham.
Australia keeps its eyes open in light of Chinese influence
In light of this, the Australian Electoral Commission’s integrity assurance task force said that it would review the video . It is important to note that the body comprises federal police and intelligence agencies, and violation of the law on foreign influence in polls can constitute a criminal offence.
While economic ties between Australia and China have stabilised in recent years, there’s a looming fear in Canberra that China might influence its elections. Last year, Sunny Duong, a Chinese Australian businessman, became the first person in the country to be convicted of a foreign interference offence due to his linkages to the Chinese government.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn a statement to Nikkei Asia, Labour Party’s O’Neil said: “My office has not had any direct contact with the Hubei association. When an intermediary contacted my office with the offer of Hubei volunteers, my office politely declined.”
The Story of the Australia Hubei Association
The Australian group was identified in a 2018 parliamentary submission. At that time, it was referred to as a “United Front-linked business group” operating in Australia. While speaking to Nikkei Asia, Clive Hamilton, co-author of “Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia,” pointed out the group’s interest in targeting independent candidates.
“I think the CCP has made an assessment and decided the teals may hold a balance of power in the next parliament, and therefore Beijing wants to have access to important teals who might be persuaded to articulate and push for Beijing’s viewpoint,” he said. In Australian politics, the term “teal” generally indicates independent candidates who are “socially liberal, yet economically centrist”.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson of the Liberal Party told Sky News on Wednesday that “if you were a foreign authoritarian government, and you wanted to weaken or destabilise Australia, you would probably prefer that there be a hung parliament – that no party have a majority.” Hence, it will be interesting to see the kind of impact these groups would have on the results of the Australian elections.
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