Commentary
The secretive visit by the Victorian premier to China raises issues that have not been answered by Daniel Andrews.
Flying out of the country with just two days’ notice to the community, the premier was not accompanied by any media or industry representatives, despite the claim that the mission was to discuss trade and cultural ties and the return of Chinese students to Victoria.
One of the first meetings was with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). Like any official association in China, the CPAFFC is an arm of the communist regime.
Three years ago, the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, described the association as “a Beijing-based organisation tasked with co-opting subnational governments.” Pompeo asserted that the organisation has “sought to directly and malignly influence state and local leaders to promote the PRC’s global agenda.”…