China said on Friday it had lodged a complaint with Australia after its prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said he took reports very seriously that China’s Communist Party had sought to interfere in his country.
BEIJING: China said on Friday it had lodged a complaint with Australia after its prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said he took reports very seriously that China’s Communist Party had sought to interfere in his country.
Turnbull said this week that foreign powers were making « unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated attempts to influence the political process » in Australia and the world. He cited « disturbing reports about Chinese influence ».
Turnbull, speaking to parliament on Thursday during the introduction of legislation to stop external interference in domestic politics, reiterated those concerns.
« Media reports have suggested that the Chinese Communist Party has been working to covertly interfere with our media, our universities and even the decisions of elected representatives right here in this building. We take these reports very seriously, » he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in Beijing he was « shocked » at what Turnbull had said.
Such comments pandered to certain irresponsible reports in Australian media, were full of prejudice against China, were baseless and poisoned the atmosphere of China-Australia relations, Geng told a daily news briefing.
