Christopher Pyne

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Gladys Liu has been severely questioned by political opponents and was reduced to tears

Australia, which is increasingly the debates of China's influence on the company, a new MP last week to damage the panel questions about her past connections to Beijing-associated groups. Others, however, the controversy is dismissed as "xenophobic paranoia". The BBC's Phil Mercer reports from Sydney.

Gladys Liu knew her new job in Canberra would have would be brutal and put unprecedented control.

But The First Chinese-Australian to sit often uproarious house of representatives was reduced to tears, to reveal the through a persistent attack by its political enemies for the failure of their membership in organizations linked to the Communist party of China.

Senior government colleagues, had to fend off suggestions Ms Liu was a "traitor". Australia Attorney-General Christian Porter said the criticism of the liberal MP election in the marginal Victorian seat of Chisholm in May , had been shameful.

But there are potentially explosive claims that Ms. Liu had connections with high - ranking personalities in Beijing in covert political and propaganda apparatus - the questions raised about their suitability in Parliament.

'I'm a proud Australian,'

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Ms Liu, Council member of the Guangdong provincial Chapter of the China Overseas Exchange Association - which at the Time Was part of China's powerful State Council , the Chinese government, the Central political and administrative body.

experts believe there is an important link between the Chinese government and pro-Beijing nationalists in other countries.

Ms Liu later confirmed, she was an honorary member of the club between 2003 and 2015, But has strongly denied any split loyalties.

the question here is whether these relations were about the networking and the introductions to the rich and powerful for a woman, which was a productive use for the Liberal Party , or Something More sinister.

for Ms Liu, born in Hong Kong and won a scholarship to study speech and language therapy in Melbourne in 1985, has insisted that their past affiliations were innocent. She added that some Chinese associations volunteer had appointed her to, without your permission.

"I quit, many organizations, and I Am in The Process of auditing all the organizations that have accepted me as a member without my knowledge or consent," Ms Liu said in a statement.

"I'm a proud Australian, the passion in the service of the people of Chisholm, and any proposal that is in contradiction to this deeply offensive. "

the work of The opposition, Ms Liu has called for a more detailed explanation in the Parliament.

the Prime Minister , Scott Morrison , Ms Liu is Australia's centre-right leader of the party, said the new backbenchers was The Victim of a "smear" campaign with a "dingy undertone".

"Gladys is a Chinese-born Australians. Makes her In Cahoots with the Chinese government? Of course not," said Mr Morrison said. "It is a ridiculous proposal and I think it is an insult to every individual Chinese-Australian in This Country . "

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A disastrous interview on Australian television has done little to pressure to ease up on the young politician told Sky News Australia she could not remember your past connections with various organizations and seemed uncertain when pressed on their attitude to China. They tried later on, the record just set and clear belonging to the past.

Prime Minister , Scott Morrison , says Ms. Liu is The Victim of a "smear" campaign

The political attack on Ms Liu was orchestrated by the opposition Labor Party . To know it smelled political blood, and has asked whether the government had received warnings from the Australian intelligence services.

"There have been questions raised, for some time about whether Ms. Liu is a fit and proper person to be in the Australian Parliament," said Labour's foreign policy spokeswoman Penny Wong .

work Senator Kimberley Kitching said Gladys Liu was "a walking Time Bomb " for the Liberal Party , and hinted that more revelations would emerge about her past. If you do it, the chess-loving Victorian MP could find themselves locked up and in front of checkmate.

Australia's growing China-debate

for Ms Liu, an Australian citizen was in the year 1992. Her parliamentary career collided with growing anxiety in Australia over allegations of Chinese interference in its internal politics and cyber-espionage. because of the fears about the growing influence of China on the Campus.

On Monday, the Reuters news Agency reported that China is behind. The Australian government declined to comment on The Report , which cited five anonymous sources.

An official corruption inquiry in Sydney, the examination of the allegations is a Chinese billionaire was an illegal donation of$100,000 (£55,000; $70,000) in cash bag, stuffed in a shopping on the work of the New South Wales branch. Huang Xiangmo has strongly denied the accusation. In the year 2017, a high-profile labor senator, Sam Dastyari , was forced to stop shame about his connections to Mr Huang.

China's influence on Australia is growing from day to day; from migration to tourism, education and trade. The Relationship has under-pinned Australia's recent Prosperity - 40% of Australian exports go to China - But it also has a dark side, according to James Laurenceson from the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.

"Some of China's behaviour is an unacceptable intrusion into the Australian interests and sovereignty. The Chinese Communist party would like to support rally in the Chinese diaspora in Australia to their cause," he told the BBC.

'Ugly paranoia'

As with previous debates about Foreign Influence in Australia, some have raised the question of whether Ms Liu is the case, down to anti-China hysteria.

"to tolerate When Ms. Liu was a white, blonde, blue-eyed, Anglo-Celtic woman, But as an Australian-ethnic Chinese background, you would be given The Treatment she has had, in The Last week? I doubt it," a former government minister, Christopher Pyne ,

"It was an ugly strain of xenophobic paranoia running through this story. "

Mr Laurenceson said he believes that the attacks on Ms Liu's integrity and loyalty are misplaced. To be

"of course, presented no evidence that she's trying to change Australian government policy on behalf of the Chinese Communist party, much less that she was successful to do so," he said.

"Only a month or so ago, they expressed their support for the anti-government demonstrators in Hong Kong . Why don't their critics acknowledge that?"

australia, china, scott morrison

Source of news: bbc.com