Hong Kong-born Australian MP Gladys Liu under pressure to explain links to Chinese groups

Liu said she could not recall if she was a member of the China Overseas Exchange Association

Opposition Labor Party demands Liu demonstrate she is a ‘fit and proper person to be in the Australian parliament’

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Australian lawmaker Gladys Liu. Photo: Facebook

Published: 2:00pm, 11 Sep 2019Updated: 5:54pm, 12 Sep 2019

Australian member of parliament Gladys Liu said she “should have chosen her words better” in an interview that canvassed her views on China, after she came under pressure for refusing to criticise the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Liu is a member of the governing Liberal Party and the first Chinese-born Australian MP. On Wednesday she said she would cut ties with various Chinese institutions with links to the Communist Party, and would conduct an audit to make sure no organisations had made her an honorary member without her knowledge.

“I am a proud Australian, passionately committed to serving the people of Chisholm, and any suggestion contrary to this is deeply offensive,” Liu said. “As a proud Hong Kong-born Australian I do not underestimate the enormity of being the first Chinese-born member of parliament.

“I know some people will see everything I do through the lens of my birthplace, but I hope that they will see more than just the first Chinese woman elected to parliament. I hope they will see me as a strong advocate for everyone in Chisholm.”

A political storm erupted over Liu’s alleged links to the Communist Party after the Australian media reported a Chinese government online record listed her name as a council member of the Guangdong provincial chapter of the China Overseas Exchange Association between 2003 and 2015.