By Colin Packham
SYDNEY, June 8 (Reuters) – The Australian government softened proposed foreign interference laws on Friday to secure parliamentary support for the legislation which threatens to further strain ties with its major trading partner China.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull late last year cited “disturbing reports of Chinese meddling” as justification for the new tougher legislation, though the bill stalled amid political opposition to several elements.
Keen to push through the bill, Australia’s centre-right government said the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme will now not require executives and lobbyists connected to private multinational companies to register as foreign agents.
“We’ve narrowed the focus of the bill with this drafting to companies, particularly, who show and exhibit a degree of control on the part of foreign governments or foreign political organisations,” Australian Attorney General Christian Porter told reporters in Western Australia state.
Australia’s opposition Labor party has said it will support the revised bill.
Andrew Hastie, chairman of parliament’s joint intelligence and security committee, said foreign interference laws must be tightened as authoritarian regimes look to steal U.S. secrets though Canberra’s membership of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.
Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprised of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the United States.
The foreign interference bill is likely to be introduced into parliament soon and enacted by the end of July.
Less than a year ago, Australia-Chinese relations were riding high, with two-way trade last year worth a record A$170 billion ($129.57 billion).
Roaring Chinese demand for Australian goods and services showed little sign of slowing but Turnbull’s comments of Beijing meddling in Canberra’s domestic affairs triggered a diplomatic rift that now threatens trade.
“China strongly objected to being singled out by this legislation,” said James Laurenceson, deputy director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney.
As many as six Australian wine companies, including Treasury Wine Estates Ltd – the world’s biggest-listed winemaker – have faced delays getting products through Chinese customs this year.
Despite Australian efforts to ease the trade restrictions, wine continues to struggle to penetrate the industry’s most lucrative market, expected to be worth more than A$1 billion this year. Australian cattle grazers and citrus growers also fear they are being sidelined by China as a result of the row.
Canberra’s attempts to mend ties with China, however, have been hampered by Beijing’s reluctance to meet Australian lawmakers.
China pays great attention to exchanges with other countries and mutual visits, but Australia has struggled to secure meetings between high-ranking officials.
Trade Minister Steven Ciobo last month became the first elected Australian official to travel to China in more than seven months, but he was largely shunned during his three-day visit.
Australian and Chinese leaders have met annually since 2014, though the diplomatic row has analysts fearing Turnbull’s scheduled visit to Beijing this year may not eventuate. ($1 = 1.3120 Australian dollars) (Reporting By Colin Packham and Jane Wardell; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Michael Perry)
Advertisement
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.