06-28-2018, 10:10 PM
*** 29-Jun-18 World View -- Australia passes foreign influence laws, targeting China
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Australia passes foreign influence laws, targeting China
****
![[Image: g180628b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g180628b.jpg)
Chinese students in Sydney Australia
Australia's parliament on Thursday passed sweeping new foreign
influence laws targeting secret attempts by foreign spies to influence
Australia's politicians, media, ethnic groups and civil society
organizations. Espionage, treason and treachery offences will be
expanded, with harsh criminal penalties. The bills also set up a
register of foreign lobbyists, forcing anyone working in Australia “on
behalf” of a foreign government to publicly reveal themselves.
The laws respond to allegations that foreign countries are trying
access classified information about Australia's global alliances and
military, as well as economic and energy systems.
Australia's Attorney-General Christian Porter said:
<QUOTE>"This sends a strong message to those who would seek
to undermine our way of life that Australia is acutely aware of
activities against our national security and will continue to take
the steps necessary to thwart their activities."<END QUOTE>
The laws do not mention China, but it's clear that China and Chinese
agents are the targets of the laws.
Lawmakers who opposed the laws said that they would criminalize free
speech and non-violent protest, and would allow prosecution of
journalists for simply possessing classified information, though some
amendments were added to the original bill to answer these concerns.
Relations between Australia and China have been in crisis for over a
month, after an Australian MP, Andrew Hastie, delivered a speech to
parliament accusing a prominent wealthy Australian politician, Dr. Chau
Chak-wing, of being linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and of bribing a United Nations official
to obtain UN backing for a number of multi-billion dollar
Chinese infrastructure projects. According to Hastie, Chau Chak-wing
was a prominent member of Beijing's "United Front Work Department"
(UFWD), which is an international Chinese coercive propaganda
organization described by Chinese leaders as "Magic Weapons."
Sydney Morning Herald and Special Broadcasting Service (Australia) and BBC
****
**** China's tech giant Huawei considered a threat to Australia's security
****
Huawei is the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, behind only
Apple and Samsung. It is also the world's largest supplier of
wireless and telecommunications networking equipment. It was founded
in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, a former People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
engineer, and is suspected of developing projects that the PLA could
use for identity theft worldwide, and take control of wireless
networks worldwide from China.
As I've described previously, in the past I spent several years
developing embedded software in C for microprocessors, and so I know
personally that the capabilities described above can be implemented
and, in fact, can be implemented easily. Furthermore, if the code is
written so that the secret functions are only invoked when the device
receives a secret 1024-bit code, then it's impossible to detect the
functions through testing. And in view of China's illegal actions in
the South China Sea and elsewhere, we have to assume that if it can be
done easily, then it will have been done.
Australian security agencies are saying that Huawei products are a
threat to Australian security. Huawei has been bidding to take a role
in as Australia's high-speed internet provider, but has been facing
distrust from Australian politicians and security agencies.
At the same time, a new report finds that Huawei is the
biggest corporate sponsor of overseas travel for Australian
politicians.
Huawei paid for 12 trips by Australian federal politicians to the
company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, including business class flights,
local travel, accommodation and meals since 2010. Politicians who
took those trips include Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Trade Minister
Steve Ciobo and former Trade Minister Andrew Robb.
Solomon Islands dropped plans for a billion-dollar internet cable
connecting Australia with the Solomon Islands after Australia this
month promised hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure Huawei did
not build the cable, because of security risks. News.com (Australia) and Reuters
****
**** China activists accuse Australia of anti-China racism
****
Australia has a long history of antipathy towards Chinese in Australia
since European settlement, starting with race riots amid the gold rush
of the 1850s and '60s. With hundreds of Chinese prospectors injured
and evicted from mining sites, the unrest prompted immigration rules
that led to the infamous "White Australia" policy, which existed in
various forms from 1901 until 1973.
Chinese activists have increasingly been saying that anti-Chinese
racism is rising again, and that it's the cause of anxiety about
Chinese influence in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United
States, Europe, and other countries.
However, there are plenty of reasons for anxiety about China's
intention that have absolutely nothing to do with racism. China is
conducting well-publicized illegal activities in the South China Sea,
building a massive military force with the intention of taking control
of the whole region. China is also making military threats against
India, Japan and other countries where the government wish to
confiscate a portion of the regions they govern.
Equally troubling is China's "United Front Work Department" (UFWD),
which is an international Chinese coercive propaganda organization
described by Chinese leaders as "Magic Weapons." The UFWD is in
contact with over a million Chinese expats in countries around the
world, and uses a variety of techniques to coerce them to influence
local politicians and media to support China's policies in a variety
of areas, including Taiwan policy, criminality in the South China Sea,
One Belt One Road, the Dalai Lama, and so forth.
There are 150,000 Chinese students in Australia, and there have been
numerous incidents where Chinese students complained to school
officials that lectures or course materials made them "fell
uncomfortable" because they didn't "show respect" for China. They've
complained about materials that describe Taiwan as a country, about a
map that shows Indian territory claimed by China as Indian territory.
These complaints were accompanied by demands that the materials
be changed.
Now imagine any Western country trying the same thing. Imagine an
agency in the Trump administration telling American students in
universities overseas to complain when the university lectures and
course materials contradict American policy as defined by the Trump
administration. The international outrage would be enormous, and none
of the American student expats would do as they has they had been
told anyway.
By Western standards, what China is doing appears to be almost like
mind control. It's amazing that an agency like the UFWD exists, and
it's amazing that Chinese students around the world do as they're told
-- although the latter could be explained by the fact that China can
threaten punishment for any student that disobeys orders.
America does have an agency that sends people to countries around the
world -- the Peace Corps. "The Peace Corps is a service opportunity
for motivated changemakers to immerse themselves in a community
abroad, working side by side with local leaders to tackle the most
pressing challenges of our generation."
I've never heard anyone describe the Peace Corps as a "Magic Weapon"
or as any kind of weapon. America has the Peace Corps, to help bring
peace, and China has the "Magic Weapon Corps" to coercively spread
Chinese propaganda.
So if people in Australia, Canada, the US or any other country
is anxious about the Chinese, the Chinese have only themselves
to blame, and it has nothing to do with racism.
China's policies could have serious consequences for Chinese expats.
In World War II, the American government interred Japanese-American
citizens but not German-American citizens. There are probably a lot
of reasons for that, not the least of which is that there were too
many German-Americans to even think about interring. But the main
thing is that there was a great deal of mutual American-Japanese
xenophobia prior to the war, and that turned into internment during
the war. China's coercive propaganda policies applied to Chinese
expats to the point of apparent mind control could, in some future
circumstances, lead to the internment of Chinese expats in Australia,
Canada or the United States. So the Chinese policies may be "Magic
Weapons," but they could have severe consequences for the Chinese
themselves. BBC and The Diplomat and Australian Broadcasting and Peace Corps and Australia-China Student Association
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Australia, China, Christian Porter,
Chau Chak-wing, Andrew Hastie, United Front Work Department, UFWD,
Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, Julie Bishop, Steve Ciobo, Andrew Robb,
Solomon Islands, White Australia, New Zealand, Canada,
South China Sea, India, Japan, Magic Weapons, Peace Corps
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Australia passes foreign influence laws, targeting China
- China's tech giant Huawei considered a threat to Australia's security
- China activists accuse Australia of anti-China racism
****
**** Australia passes foreign influence laws, targeting China
****
Chinese students in Sydney Australia
Australia's parliament on Thursday passed sweeping new foreign
influence laws targeting secret attempts by foreign spies to influence
Australia's politicians, media, ethnic groups and civil society
organizations. Espionage, treason and treachery offences will be
expanded, with harsh criminal penalties. The bills also set up a
register of foreign lobbyists, forcing anyone working in Australia “on
behalf” of a foreign government to publicly reveal themselves.
The laws respond to allegations that foreign countries are trying
access classified information about Australia's global alliances and
military, as well as economic and energy systems.
Australia's Attorney-General Christian Porter said:
<QUOTE>"This sends a strong message to those who would seek
to undermine our way of life that Australia is acutely aware of
activities against our national security and will continue to take
the steps necessary to thwart their activities."<END QUOTE>
The laws do not mention China, but it's clear that China and Chinese
agents are the targets of the laws.
Lawmakers who opposed the laws said that they would criminalize free
speech and non-violent protest, and would allow prosecution of
journalists for simply possessing classified information, though some
amendments were added to the original bill to answer these concerns.
Relations between Australia and China have been in crisis for over a
month, after an Australian MP, Andrew Hastie, delivered a speech to
parliament accusing a prominent wealthy Australian politician, Dr. Chau
Chak-wing, of being linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and of bribing a United Nations official
to obtain UN backing for a number of multi-billion dollar
Chinese infrastructure projects. According to Hastie, Chau Chak-wing
was a prominent member of Beijing's "United Front Work Department"
(UFWD), which is an international Chinese coercive propaganda
organization described by Chinese leaders as "Magic Weapons."
Sydney Morning Herald and Special Broadcasting Service (Australia) and BBC
****
**** China's tech giant Huawei considered a threat to Australia's security
****
Huawei is the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, behind only
Apple and Samsung. It is also the world's largest supplier of
wireless and telecommunications networking equipment. It was founded
in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, a former People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
engineer, and is suspected of developing projects that the PLA could
use for identity theft worldwide, and take control of wireless
networks worldwide from China.
As I've described previously, in the past I spent several years
developing embedded software in C for microprocessors, and so I know
personally that the capabilities described above can be implemented
and, in fact, can be implemented easily. Furthermore, if the code is
written so that the secret functions are only invoked when the device
receives a secret 1024-bit code, then it's impossible to detect the
functions through testing. And in view of China's illegal actions in
the South China Sea and elsewhere, we have to assume that if it can be
done easily, then it will have been done.
Australian security agencies are saying that Huawei products are a
threat to Australian security. Huawei has been bidding to take a role
in as Australia's high-speed internet provider, but has been facing
distrust from Australian politicians and security agencies.
At the same time, a new report finds that Huawei is the
biggest corporate sponsor of overseas travel for Australian
politicians.
Huawei paid for 12 trips by Australian federal politicians to the
company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, including business class flights,
local travel, accommodation and meals since 2010. Politicians who
took those trips include Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Trade Minister
Steve Ciobo and former Trade Minister Andrew Robb.
Solomon Islands dropped plans for a billion-dollar internet cable
connecting Australia with the Solomon Islands after Australia this
month promised hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure Huawei did
not build the cable, because of security risks. News.com (Australia) and Reuters
****
**** China activists accuse Australia of anti-China racism
****
Australia has a long history of antipathy towards Chinese in Australia
since European settlement, starting with race riots amid the gold rush
of the 1850s and '60s. With hundreds of Chinese prospectors injured
and evicted from mining sites, the unrest prompted immigration rules
that led to the infamous "White Australia" policy, which existed in
various forms from 1901 until 1973.
Chinese activists have increasingly been saying that anti-Chinese
racism is rising again, and that it's the cause of anxiety about
Chinese influence in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United
States, Europe, and other countries.
However, there are plenty of reasons for anxiety about China's
intention that have absolutely nothing to do with racism. China is
conducting well-publicized illegal activities in the South China Sea,
building a massive military force with the intention of taking control
of the whole region. China is also making military threats against
India, Japan and other countries where the government wish to
confiscate a portion of the regions they govern.
Equally troubling is China's "United Front Work Department" (UFWD),
which is an international Chinese coercive propaganda organization
described by Chinese leaders as "Magic Weapons." The UFWD is in
contact with over a million Chinese expats in countries around the
world, and uses a variety of techniques to coerce them to influence
local politicians and media to support China's policies in a variety
of areas, including Taiwan policy, criminality in the South China Sea,
One Belt One Road, the Dalai Lama, and so forth.
There are 150,000 Chinese students in Australia, and there have been
numerous incidents where Chinese students complained to school
officials that lectures or course materials made them "fell
uncomfortable" because they didn't "show respect" for China. They've
complained about materials that describe Taiwan as a country, about a
map that shows Indian territory claimed by China as Indian territory.
These complaints were accompanied by demands that the materials
be changed.
Now imagine any Western country trying the same thing. Imagine an
agency in the Trump administration telling American students in
universities overseas to complain when the university lectures and
course materials contradict American policy as defined by the Trump
administration. The international outrage would be enormous, and none
of the American student expats would do as they has they had been
told anyway.
By Western standards, what China is doing appears to be almost like
mind control. It's amazing that an agency like the UFWD exists, and
it's amazing that Chinese students around the world do as they're told
-- although the latter could be explained by the fact that China can
threaten punishment for any student that disobeys orders.
America does have an agency that sends people to countries around the
world -- the Peace Corps. "The Peace Corps is a service opportunity
for motivated changemakers to immerse themselves in a community
abroad, working side by side with local leaders to tackle the most
pressing challenges of our generation."
I've never heard anyone describe the Peace Corps as a "Magic Weapon"
or as any kind of weapon. America has the Peace Corps, to help bring
peace, and China has the "Magic Weapon Corps" to coercively spread
Chinese propaganda.
So if people in Australia, Canada, the US or any other country
is anxious about the Chinese, the Chinese have only themselves
to blame, and it has nothing to do with racism.
China's policies could have serious consequences for Chinese expats.
In World War II, the American government interred Japanese-American
citizens but not German-American citizens. There are probably a lot
of reasons for that, not the least of which is that there were too
many German-Americans to even think about interring. But the main
thing is that there was a great deal of mutual American-Japanese
xenophobia prior to the war, and that turned into internment during
the war. China's coercive propaganda policies applied to Chinese
expats to the point of apparent mind control could, in some future
circumstances, lead to the internment of Chinese expats in Australia,
Canada or the United States. So the Chinese policies may be "Magic
Weapons," but they could have severe consequences for the Chinese
themselves. BBC and The Diplomat and Australian Broadcasting and Peace Corps and Australia-China Student Association
Related Articles
- Australia-China relations in crisis after revelation of Chinese bribery scandal (24-May-2018)
- New book documents extensive Chinese infiltration into Australia's organizations (26-Feb-2018)
- Concerns grow over China's covert infiltration into New Zealand's government (16-Feb-2018)
- China-Australia relations plummet over China's illegal militarization of South China Sea (16-Dec-2017)
- Australian MP Clive Palmer shocks country with anti-China rant (21-Aug-2014)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Australia, China, Christian Porter,
Chau Chak-wing, Andrew Hastie, United Front Work Department, UFWD,
Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, Julie Bishop, Steve Ciobo, Andrew Robb,
Solomon Islands, White Australia, New Zealand, Canada,
South China Sea, India, Japan, Magic Weapons, Peace Corps
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
