The controversy over the infiltration of Chinese capital into Australia continues to rage, with the Victorian government’s Belt and Road agreement with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) being annulled by the federal government causing public concern, and local media reporting that the Victorian government has also reached other secret agreements with the CCP.
Melbourne’s The Age and Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday that the Century newspaper “A reporter from The Age earlier requested that the Victorian government disclose the contents of a 2017 agreement with the Chinese Communist government under Victoria’s Freedom of Information Act, but was refused on the grounds that the agreement involved “confidentiality”. The agreement was rejected on the grounds that it involved “confidentiality.
“The Century and the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the agreement was for Chinese state-owned enterprises to participate in public infrastructure projects in Victoria, with a value of up to A$50 billion (about NT$1 trillion and NT$80 billion).
The report pointed out that, in general, after the media requested the disclosure of information according to the “Freedom of Information Act”, the government will usually respond within 30 to 45 days; however, this time, the Victorian government requested the disclosure of the content of the agreement signed with the Chinese Communist government in 2017, and delayed until five months before responding.
The report mentioned that the federal government is currently reviewing the content of the agreement in question in order to determine whether there is anything inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy.
The report cites Paul Monk, former director of China affairs for the Australian Defence Intelligence Organisation, as saying that the agreement may involve assisting Chinese investors in bidding for public works projects in Victoria; he also said that the Victorian government’s concealment was suspicious.
Victoria has become the focus of controversy in recent years because of a number of agreements reached with the Chinese government. Among them, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews signed the “Framework Agreement on Joint Promotion of ‘One Belt, One Road’ Construction” with Ning Jizhe, deputy director of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, in October 2019. However, the agreement was withdrawn by the federal government on April 21 after being accused of being inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy.
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