Federal liberal MPs push for investigation into South Australian MP Jing Lee over alleged China links

Three Federal Liberal MPs demand investigation into one of their own, SA Lib Jing Lee, citing a national security concern.

East Turkistan Australian Association president Nurmuhammad Majid, left, and cultural director Hikmat Hasanoff. Picture: Morgan Sette

Federal Liberal MPs are demanding an urgent and independent investigation into the pro-Beijing links of one of their own MPs, SA Liberal Jing Lee, citing an exclusive investigation by The Australian into her conduct as a national security concern.

Their call is being backed by SA’s persecuted Uighur community which is demanding action over the conduct of the SA Xinjiang Association which they and security experts believe is part of the Chinese Communist Party’s international propaganda arm, the United Front Work Department.

The Australian revealed last week that Ms Lee is a strong backer of the Xinjiang Association which has appropriated Uighur dress, dance and songs to perform at events in Adelaide in conjunction with the city’s Chinese consulate, and which denies the existence of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang province.

Ms Lee also spoke at a Chinese consulate function urging SA to sign on to Beijing’s One Belt, One Road infrastructure program – a position she recanted last week – and has warned her fellow MPs about meeting with the banned spiritual group Falun Gong for fear of offending China.

The revelations stunned some of her colleagues and have prompted three federal MPs to write to the party’s SA office urging state director Sascha Meldrum and national Liberal president former SA Premier John Olsen to order an independent inquiry into The Australian’s revelations.

In a joint letter to party office, Member for Boothby Nicolle Flint, member for Barker Tony Pasin and Senator Alex Antic said they had “grave concerns about the report in The Australian claiming links between the Hon Jing Lee MLC, the Chinese Communist Party and the United Front Work Department”.

“Given the federal government’s strong position on foreign interference, we consider any Liberal member who is reported to have links to the Chinese Communist Party and the United Front Work Department, is operating contrary to fundamentally important Liberal Party policy and Party principles,” the letter states.

“Of particular concern is The Australian’s reporting that “Ms Lee has emerged as a major supporter of Beijing within the SA parliament, warning fellow Liberal MPs against meeting with the banned group Falun Gong for fear of offending China and also speaking at a consulate-general function in Adelaide in 2017 promoting China’s Belt and Road Initiative, where she urged SA to do as Victoria has done and sign on to the controversial infrastructure program”.

“For these reasons we consider these links must be independently investigated, as a matter of urgency, by the Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division) to ensure the integrity of our Party and our Party organisation, and we call on State Executive to ensure this occurs.”

Ms Lee has made no comment on the push for an investigation but last week defended her conduct.

“I am a proud Australian citizen focused on building relationships with people from all multicultural communities that are represented in South Australia,” she said.

“I have attended hundreds of multicultural functions as a parliamentarian and to suggest that I share the political views of the people who make up all those organisations is absurd.”

Some Liberal MPs are rubbishing their letter, saying all three are party conservatives and that the attack on Jing Lee, a moderate who this week was elected Upper House president, is factionally driven.

But Adelaide’s Uighur community leaders are cheering the federal MPs on, saying they are worried about the closeness of the SA Government to Beijing and “fed up” with no-one taking their concerns seriously.

“The Australian’s report was very important because it outlined the manner in which these United Front organisations operate be it in London, Paris or even Adelaide,” Australian East Turkistan Association Nurmuhammad Majid told The Weekend Australian.

“When any dissidents can be found in any city Beijing will try to identify and silence them through these United Front organisations. The Xinjiang Association works hand-in-hand with the Adelaide consulate and it should worry everyone in Australia, not just Uighurs, that we have a member of an Australian parliament who is helping them.”

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham and fellow moderate sprang to Ms Lee’s defence.

“Jing is one of the hardest-working, community-oriented MPs that I’ve ever known, who has consistently demonstrated her love for our state and country,” Senator Birmingham said.

“She in no way deserves to be the target of destructive behaviour.”

Another MP dismissed those criticisms.

“I would have thought given the government is finally getting serious about foreign interference that we would actually be taking this case seriously too,” the MP said.