The foreign influence registry system started in December 2018 and was introduced to combat foreign interference, mainly from the Chinese.
The register, which has 213 participants, is designed to show the public who works for foreign interests and their attempts to shape Australian politics.
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But Hastie told parliament in privilege, which protects him from legal action, that Huawei is effectively considered state-owned, unless the company proves otherwise.
“Nick Xenophon is now effectively pursuing the strategic objectives of a large Chinese company, with, I think, clear links to the Chinese government,” he said.
“Why is he going through Australia, trying to influence our public policy process, but has not yet joined the transparency program of foreign influence?
“I call on Mr. Xenophon and his associates to register and do so in the national interest so that we have full transparency on his relationships with Huawei and the Australian people.”
Xenophon retaliated, saying Huawei was “the most unfairly and irrationally slandered company in Australian history” and not “state-owned”.
“It is a private company that is not even remotely covered by the foreign influence transparency program – and even if they were lawyers, they are exempt,” he said. declared.
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“Our role is not to defend Huawei equipment, its technologies or its business plans.
“Our role is to defend its reputation against smears and unwarranted lies – and there have been many emanating from Australia in the past year.”
In addition, Mr. Xenophon said that Mr. Hastie’s view of 5G infrastructure as a “battlefield” was “worrisome belligerently”.
“Obviously, this is not an opinion that I share. Huawei is not interested in its war. They want to sell phones and equipment in the context of being a model corporate citizen in Australia for 16 years, “said Mr. Xenophon.
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During his speech, he denounced Huawei’s attempts to censor its detractors using Western legal systems, including in France, where Huawei is chasing Valerie Niquet, researcher in a Paris-based think tank, Foundation for Strategic Research.
Mr. Hastie quoted a letter from Huawei to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute dated October 14, 2019, which threatened to initiate federal court proceedings against ASPI office holders and the authors of the document: Global engineering consent: data-driven expansion of the power of the Chinese Communist Party.
Although large companies cannot sue for defamation in Australia, action could potentially be brought under consumer law, for example.
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American researchers Christopher Balding and Donald C. Clarke published an analysis of Huawei’s opaque ownership structure last year, concluding that “Huawei can be considered effectively state-owned.”
Under Chinese law, Beijing can order any Chinese company to spy on its behalf.
Huawei, which is headquartered in Shenzen, says it would challenge such an instruction from Beijing.
The company managed to pressure the British to break away from Five Eyes intelligence partners, Australia and the United States, to allow Chinese involvement in the UK’s 5G infrastructure.
Latika Bourke is a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in London.
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