The new espionage law may jeopardize scholarly contributions and the China influence debate should cool off, a submission to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security says.
On 19 March 2018, more than 30 scholars in the research fields of China studies and Sinology, including Australia's first ambassador to China, Stephen Fitzgerald, have expressed their concern regarding the review of the Espionage and Foreign Interference Bill amid the China influence debate. After their letter has been submitted to the Parliamentary Committee, the number of subsequent signatories kept growing and reached 66 by 26 March.
The signatories include scholars come from all over Australia and visiting scholars from overseas. They are currently working in the China studies research realm in the most of influential universities of the region, including University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, ANU, Hong Kong University, Princeton University and etc.
The leading scholar of Media research in UTS, Professor Wanning Sun, is among the signatories. In a radio interview, she told SBS Mandarin:” The China influence debate is oversimplified and media is trying to portray this complicated issue in black and white. If you are pro-China then you must be against Australia.” Professor Sun criticises the local media hype has worsen the image the local Chinese community by using the comments come from the few.
Armed Australian Federal Police officers at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP
Professor Sun described the recent pressure in the academic society, “many Chinese Studies scholars are afraid of expressing their positive views on China, even they feel some reports are not true they dare not to speak out their views, because they don’t want to be labelled as ‘pro-China’ or ‘China’s puppet’”. She urged that academic freedom needs to be respected, “Scholars have to be independent, impartial and telling the truth. These have no conflict with Australian Values.”
SBS Mandarin has extensively reported the China influence issues. The audience reaction towards the new espionage bill is polarised. Some comments on SBS Mandarin believed the new bill is unfairly targeting China while others strongly supported to crack down the China influence embedded in Australia political system.
In 2017 former Senator Sam Dastyari had resigned from the parliament due to defending China’s position on the South China Sea. Afterwards, the Chinese billionaire political donor Huang Xiangmo has drawn attention on political donations as a tool of foreign influence in Australia.
Universities are absolutely terrified of negative headlines overseas, particularly in India and China. Source: AAP
Bill Shorten says coalition leaders have also socialised with Chinese tycoon Huang Xiangmo. (AAP) Source: AAP
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【中国影响力】问题延烧至前总理艾伯特
