The Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne presents a certificate of appointment to the Australian Emergency Mutual Aid Association, founded by Liu Huifeng (left), on July 31, 2017. Documents recently obtained by Australian media show that the Chinese consulate provided funding to the association, which was to provide information about Chinese people on the platform to the Chinese consulate.
Melbourne-based Chinese businessman Liu Huifeng is under investigation by local intelligence services for allegedly posing a national security risk to Australia and could face deportation. Liu Huifeng, who has a background as a retired Chinese Communist Party soldier, earlier founded a local civil society organization and served as its president. Reports indicate that the organization has a secret agreement with the Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne, and that the organization gives information about local Chinese to the embassy, while the Chinese consulate provides funding. Liu Huifeng also has close ties with the Australian Assistant Treasurer and Chinese MP Liao Canyon. The Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne issued a statement accusing the Australian media of deliberate “smearing”.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday (Jan. 4) that Chinese businessman Liu Huifeng of Melbourne has been assessed by the Australian Security Intelligence Service (ASIO) as a risk to national security and could face deportation. Liu Huifeng was denied a permanent residence visa to Australia earlier.
Australian Federal Police have confirmed that they are involved in an ASIO-led “anti-foreign interference” investigation into Liu Huifeng.
Australian commentator Huang Fujing told us in an interview that he believed Australian intelligence had evidence of Liu Huifeng’s service to the Chinese Communist Party. The latter, in particular, includes the Chinese Communist Party’s use of Liu Huifeng’s associations to obtain information about Chinese people in Australia and to infiltrate the Australian political scene. He described the incident as a replica of the case of Huang Xiangmo, another Chinese businessman who was denied entry into Australia.
Huang Fu Jing said: Liu Huifeng has not been deported yet, but I think the Australian intelligence and security organizations have got solid evidence that the Chinese Communist Party is manipulating the Chinese in Australia more deeply and comprehensively through his organization, which is obviously interfering in Australia’s internal affairs. The main problem is that Liu Huifeng has hooked up with the Federal Assistant Treasurer, just like Huang Xiangmo in Sydney had hooked up with many important political figures at that time, and the Chinese Communist Party has infiltrated into Australia in all aspects, most importantly into the political circles.
Liu Huifeng told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he was convinced that the Australian Security Intelligence Service assessed him as a national security risk because he was the president of the Australian Emergency Mutual Aid Association. The Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne issued a statement on Monday, alleging that the Australian media had “distorted reports on its relationship with a locally registered volunteer agency, tainted the Chinese consulate with financial support for the agency” and “insinuated that the consulate was interfering in Australia”. The Australian media was asked to stop the “smear”.
Huangfu Jing believes that the statement of the Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne is tantamount to taking the initiative to claim and take the right place. The consulate did not respond to our request for comment.
According to media investigations, Liu Huifeng, 52, is a retired Chinese Communist Party soldier who has lived in Australia since 2014. He has made donations to the Australian Liberal Party and has ties to Australian Federal Liberal Party MP Cynthia Liao and Australian Federal Treasury Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar, who have close ties to Beijing. The report also revealed that Liu Huifeng has donated $20,000 to the Victorian branch of the Federal Liberal Party and $1,125 to the NSW Liberal Party.
According to Zhang Xiaogang, a member of the Australian Values Coalition, the two parties are now united on the issue of countering the Chinese Communist Party after years of infiltration and bullying.
Zhang Xiaogang said: Liu Huifeng and Liao Canyon’s relationship is controversial, and the Labor Party has proposed an investigation into Liu Huifeng’s relationship with Liao Canyon and asked the ruling Liberal Party to remove Liao Canyon from parliament. There is a high degree of consensus between the two parties on the implementation of the Anti-Infiltration Act and the Foreign Agents Act, especially since the passage of these two laws, and Australia’s proposal to investigate the Wuhan virus, both of which have caused the Chinese Communist Party to impose economic sanctions on Australia, both major parties are clearly adamant: no fear of the Chinese Communist Party!
According to the report, Liao Canyon, an Australian Federal Liberal Party member with close ties to Beijing, has publicly promoted the Australian Emergency Mutual Aid Association founded by Liu Huifeng; the report also revealed that Liao Canyon delivered her first speech in Parliament in July 2019, and Liu Huifeng was also in the audience.
Michael Sokal, assistant treasurer of the Australian Federal Treasury, has also released a photo with Liu Huifeng. In 2017, Sukhar sent a Christmas card to Liu Huifeng, thanking him for his “friendship and support,” and in 2017, Sukhar invited Liu to dine with him in Parliament on budget night.
Anthony Albanese, leader of the Australian Labor Party, said the government should take seriously the allegations that Cynthia Liao and Sukarn are linked to Liu Huifeng and should investigate them.
The Australian Emergency Mutual Aid Association claims to provide “a platform for residents of all ethnicities to assist each other in emergencies where their property is at risk,” and its WeChat announcement shows that it currently has 55,000 Chinese members and more than 1,000 volunteers in Australia.
But confidential documents obtained by the ABC show that the Chinese consulate in Australia promised to fund the Australian Emergency Mutual Aid Association, which reports information on Chinese nationals on its platform to the Chinese consulate, including criminal cases, emergencies, accidents and security risks concerning Chinese nationals deemed to be in need of consular assistance.
Through public information, we found that Liu Huifeng was close to politics as the chairman of Made in Australia Direct before he became the president of the Australian Emergency Mutual Aid Association, and had been photographed with former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbul, John Howard, and several ministers and parliamentarians.
In November last year, Liu Huifeng resigned as president of the Australian Mutual Aid Association. Two months prior to that, Liu Hui Feng’s application for a Significant Investor Permanent Residence Visa was refused by the Australian Department of Immigration and he was given a 28-day deadline to leave the country. In February 2019, Chinese tycoon Huang Xiangmo, who was involved in an Australian political contribution scandal, was also stripped of his permanent residency status in Australia.
Liu Huifeng’s links to another Chinese MP with close ties to Beijing, Cindy Liao, have been revealed.
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