‘Paranoia and prejudice’: Chinese-Australians in politics face intense scrutiny as Canberra-Beijing ties fray
- Australian candidates and officials with Chinese heritage are enduring a barrage of questions over their backgrounds as fears of alleged interference from Beijing rise
- They cite a harmful lack of nuance over these assumptions and interrogations, and say there are already signs of intolerance spilling over into the wider community
In a front-page advertisement in the Queensland Chinese Times, the China-born property developer asked constituents in the seat of Stretton, Brisbane, to “elect our own people”. The latest available official figures show that China-born residents made up about 1 per cent of Queensland’s population in 2016.
The backlash was swift.
On social media, commentators accused Zhuang of being a “essentially a proxy for Beijing” who was running a “Chinese ethno-nationalist campaign” and would “betray Australia” if elected.
Then, a Daily Mail Australia article that quoted Zhuang referred to him as a “pro-Beijing” candidate who had once posted a message on social media encouraging China to use “suppression” so that people everywhere, including in Australia, could “feel China’s presence”. As Zhuang later told the news site, the comments were not his, but a quote from a Chinese comedian discussing Chinese competitors in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Though it included his argument of the need for more Chinese-Australian voices in politics, the article also noted concerns about China “covertly pushing its global agenda” in the context of Zhuang’s attendance of events with the Chinese ambassador to Australia, and that he had joined a community event to mark a PLA Navy ship’s visit to Brisbane.