The scheme is not working to increase transparency or prevent foreign interference. The registration site attracts little traffic, and most Australians probably don’t know the scheme exists.
Politicians in Chinese-speaking electorates have started to view recruiting Chinese international students as indispensable. But there are risks involved for the students.
It’s all in the details: the wide-ranging powers hinge on the yet-to-be-defined ‘institutional autonomy’ of foreign partners that enter into agreements with Australian public universities.
Chinese students come to Australia to study for the same reasons as other international students.
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The majority of students from China come to Australia to learn English and be exposed to a different culture. This helps them get a competitive edge over graduates in their home country.
There are legitimate questions about Liu’s past connections to associations with direct or indirect links with the Chinese Communist Party.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Liu’s disastrous interview on Sky News forced the government into a full scale defence of her, saying that Labor, in pursuing her, was being “xenophobic” and “grubby”.
Most of Australia’s biggest companies are majority-owned by US investors.
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Most of Australia’s biggest companies are majority-owned by US investors. This concentration of overt foreign influence should concern us.
According to the ABC, newly elected MP Gladys Liu is tied to an organisation that’s part of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front, which exerts influence among the Chinese diaspora.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
United Front’s mission is to unite those who can help the Communist Party achieve its goals and neutralise its critics. This includes many influential members of the Chinese diaspora.
All Confucius Institutes teach Chinese language and culture but the nature of what they offer varies.
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The government is asking universities to register the Confucius Institutes they host under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme. So, what are these institutes and what do they teach?
Australia’s Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act obliges individuals to register if they act on behalf of “foreign principals”.
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Chinese-language social media in Australia are increasingly a focus for local political parties.
New Zealand opposition and National Party leader Simon Bridges speaking to reporters, following allegations about his handling of a political donations by former senior whip Jami-Lee Ross.
AAP/Boris Jancic
Simon Chapple, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
An evolving controversy brewing in New Zealand’s opposition National Party has raised questions about political party donations and foreign influence on New Zealand’s democratic system.
Red star rising: China has clear strategic designs on the Pacific Islands region.
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If he had forewarned Turnbull, Hastie – who is head of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security - would have been firmly ordered to button his lips.
Anthony Albanese on Labor’s National Conference
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Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese is confident their candidates will win back their seats and is gearing up for the ALP's National Conference in late July.
Under the proposed changes to the Criminal Code, anybody could face up to 20 years in jail for communicating unauthorised information.
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