Australian leader should not pander to anti-China bias
It is not inappropriate for Australia to ban foreign political donations. But it is inappropriate for Canberra to cite Beijing as the reason. When Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull explained his country's intention to crack down on external interference in domestic politics on Tuesday, he wrongly made China the scapegoat, by citing "disturbing reports about Chinese influence".
The reports Turnbull mentioned were by Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which have jointly been whipping up an anti-China backlash since June.
The two media outlets, presenting unsupported claims as facts and basing their reports on speculation, have accused China of trying to influence the Australian political system by prompting Australian businessmen of Chinese origin to make donations to the country's political parties.
