Australian Government Cracks Down on China Deals

While New Zealand seems certain to join a conga-line of third-world banana republics happy to dance for China’s BRI handouts, the Australian government is moving to slash the strings that are firmly tied to Beijing’s seeming largesse.

First in the Morrison government’s sights are clueless, socialist state premiers who recklessly ignore national security agencies to jump on Beijing’s bandwagon.

Scott Morrison will legislate to tear up Victoria’s multi-million-dollar Belt and Road Initiative agreement with Beijing, creating laws that will also ban a raft of other deals with foreign governments found to be against the ­national interest.

In an unprecedented move against Chinese interference and the protection of state secrets, the use of external powers under the Constitution to direct state, territory and local governments on ­national security issues will effectively kill dozens of agreements with foreign governments and ­institutions.

Victoria’s deal is just the first and most egregious target. Andrews repeatedly ignored warnings from the federal government and security agencies. But he’s far from Beijing’s only useful idiot in Australia. Too many of our universities and academics have been all-too-willing to dance to the tune of a brutal communist dictatorship.

The Foreign Relations Bill[…]also extends to universities and captures any questionable agreements between Australian public institutions and foreign governments.

In a major flexing of its constitutional powers, the Morrison government will cast its net over all foreign relations agreements struck by lower tiers of government, amid fears that national security has been compromised by often secret deals between state governments and foreign powers.

Hopefully, too, the government will force the Foreign Investment Review Board to stop rubber-stamping the sell-off of Australia’s critical infrastructure and farming land to Chinese companies – which are, openly or tacitly, vessels of Chinese state power.

The move could have rippling effects for the private sector, with the Foreign Minister given powers to review any private infrastructure contracts that a state government signed as part of a BRI agreement with China[…]

Mr Morrison said Australia’s foreign policies and relationships “must always be set to serve Australia’s interests”.

This is all part of Australia’s moves, in partnership with countries from the United States to India, to Japan and Vietnam, to ring-fence China’s growing power and aggressive ambition.

Which will surely raise implications for the trans-Tasman relationship, if Jacinda Ardern persists in her reckless grab for China’s cash.

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