Foley feted by ‘active China Communist Party lobby’

The arm of the Chinese Communist Party that invited Luke Foley last year is an ‘extremely active’ lobbying organ, analysts say.

NSW Labor leader Luke Foley. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The arm of the Chinese Communist Party that invited Luke Foley to China last year and paid some of his costs has been described as an “extremely active CPC organ under the direct control of the Central Committee that advances the current geopolitical and foreign-policy interests of the party”.

In an article in The Diplomat magazine in 2016, the International Department of the Communist Party of China, which invited the NSW Labor leader and upper-house Labor MP Ernest Wong, was described as a department “focused … on securing diplomatic cover for China’s sovereignty claims over the South China Sea and Taiwan.

“Foreign analysts therefore should not overlook the CPC/ID’s activities, and instead should add the department to their watchlist of actors that promote the CPC regime’s influence around the world,” says the report.

The Communist Party has described the ID’s work as to invite parliamentarians and journalists to China — and “after their trips, many have changed their original and incorrect ideas about China”.

Mr Foley defended his trip again yesterday, telling The Australian he was not lobbied about Australia’s and ALP policy on the South China Sea during the trip.

“China is a one-party state. It is well known. But our future economic prosperity will be built above all else on having a constructive engagement with China,” he said.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance quoted The Diplomat in parliament yesterday as he, Premier Gladys Berejiklian and other ministers launched into Mr Foley during question time after The Australian revealed he had failed to declare that thousands of dollars worth of meals and ground transport on the eight-day trip last June were paid for by China.

Planning Minister Anthony Roberts accused former Labor premier and foreign minister Bob Carr of “treason” in parliament yesterday following accusations he supplied questions to senator Kristina Keneally about the federal government’s handling of foreign-interference laws. Ministers questioned whether the ALP was being taken over by the CCP.

ALP frontbencher Chris Minns hit back, accusing Ms ­Berejiklian of failing to declare a dinner paid for by the Shenzhen secretary during a trip to China.

Mr Carr responded to the criticism last night, saying: “The most fun I ever had in question time was making gentle mockery of Mr Roberts’ boasted military record. Turns out he’d been in the PR unit of the army reserve — firing paper bullets you might say.

“I didn’t know he was still in state politics.”