Australia is a Very Valuable Prize For The CCP
Australian author and professor of public ethics Clive Hamilton's new book, Silent Invasion: China's Influence in Australia, was initially turned down by three publishers citing fears of reprisals from Beijing. Finally published in February 2018, Silent Invasion investigates the ruling Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) influence and interference operations in Australia, the structure of the party's overseas influence network, and the techniques it uses.
RFA: How does soft power help China to silence overseas dissidents and criticism of the CCP?
Clive Hamilton: I think for many years the first objective of the Chinese Communist Party in Australia was to silence dissenting and critical voices in the Chinese-Australian community and from groups like those calling for Tibetan and Uyghur autonomy, and of course Falun Gong, and they have been extremely successful over the last 15 or 20 years in silencing those groups and marginalizing them from the mainstream of political discussion in Australia. But then I realized that was only part of the story or the first phase, that the CCP ... wanted to not only silence those critical voices—whether it be Uyghurs or Tibetans or pro-democracy activists in Australia—it wanted to build on that, especially making use of the Chinese-Australian community to build its political influence in the mainstream of Australian society, and that is why it targeted the main political parties and intellectuals and the media in Australia and has made some considerable inroads...
RFA: What might be China’s final goal or motivation in Australia?
Clive Hamilton: I think the Communist Party and especially now under President Xi Jinping sees China as a hegemonic power that wants to dominate Asia and that includes Australia. Australia is a very valuable prize for the CCP because we are an advanced Western nation allied to the United States at the end of the Southeast Asian region. So if Beijing can control Australia, they've won an enormous strategic advantage against the United States. That's why they've put so much effort into trying to influence Australia.
