Andrew Bolt: Gladys Liu, so many questions remain

Liberal MP Gladys Liu’s memory lapse on her reported links to China means she, and her party, have many questions to answer, writes Andrew Bolt.

Two years ago, the Liberals demanded Labor sack senator Sam Dastyari for getting too close to China and defending its theft of the South China Sea.

Dastyari quit.

But now the Liberals may have their own Dastyari, MP Gladys Liu.

After her car-crash interview with me on Sky News, shouldn’t the Liberals dump Liu, too?

Australia has been so blind to the Chinese dictatorship’s influence on our politics.

Both Labor and the Liberal once took money from Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo, since banned from Australia after ASIO warned of his close links to the Chinese dictatorship.

But the Liberals stayed complacent. They didn’t run proper checks on Liu’s multiple connections with organisations linked to the top propaganda unit of China’s Communist Party — the United Front Work Department.

China’s President Xi Jinping has called that United Front one of his “magic weapons” — one that gets influential Chinese to aid this totalitarian regime.

Gladys Liu. Picture: Kym Smith

But the Liberals weren’t much interested in checking Liu’s deep connections to Chinese groups — not in the run-up to this year’s election.

On the contrary. They were desperate to exploit those connections to win the marginal seat of Chisholm, where 17 per cent of voters were born in China.

But Liu is compromised. How compromised — wittingly or not — became embarrassingly obvious during our interview on Wednesday.

I asked Liu why her name appeared on Chinese government lists between 2003 and 2015 as a member of two provincial chapters of the China Overseas Exchange Association, an arm of the United Front.

Liu’s response: “I cannot recall … If I can’t recall, I can’t be an active member of that council, can I?”

A memory fail? Extraordinary, I said.

Liu changed her story: “I have never been a member of this council … They can put your name there without your knowledge.”

I asked Liu whether she’d been honorary president of the United Chinese Commerce Association, an alleged arm of another United Front organisation.

Liu’s memory failed again: “I don’t think I am.”

Yet in a statement yesterday, Liu changed her story again, admitting she’d held positions with both groups.

I asked Liu about the Australia Jiangmen General Commercial Association, which she joined as honorary president last year. In 2016, the association rejected a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that China’s theft of the South China Sea was illegal. Did Liu back its opinion?

Another memory blank: “I have no knowledge of whether they support or not support the cause that you’ve just mentioned.”

Did she herself oppose China’s theft of that sea, through which much of Australia’s sea trade comes?

Liu was vague: “A lot of countries (are) trying to claim ownership, sovereignty of the South China Sea, because of various reasons and my position is with the Australian government.”

I asked if she agreed with the government that China stealing the South China Sea was unlawful.

Liu dodged: “If it’s going to affect our trade or our air travelling, then that is something that I would not support …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Gladys Liu in Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

“I will always want to have a good relationship between Australia and China and I will put Australia’s interests first.”

I asked Liu if China’s President was a dictator.

Liu fudged: “I’m not going to use the word ‘dictator’. In their system he is an elected chairman.”

Actually, Xi Jinping is not elected in any popular vote. He is elected only by members of the Communist Party on the National People’s Congress. Opposition parties are banned.

I asked Liu about a meeting she attended last year of 40 local Chinese organisations which called on her Liberal government to be friendlier to China.

Liu distanced herself: “I wasn’t participating. I didn’t speak.”

I pointed out she had in fact told those there to send their resolution to Canberra MPs.

Liu’s memory returned: “I was invited to say something and I say yes, if you want to let your member of parliament know your position, do that.”

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I had to ask: “Gladys Liu, are you in effect a spokesman for the Chinese Communist regime in Australia?”

Liu: “The simple answer is no.”

On Wednesday, Liu tried to tidy up, tweeting that China was indeed “not a democracy” and calling on all countries with claims to the South China Sea to act “in accordance with international law”.

And she played the race card, saying: “I do not underestimate the enormity of being the first Chinese-born member of parliament.”

But questions remain and it’s not racist to ask them of Gladys Liu.