In an interview with China’s state-run Global Times on Monday, billionaire developer Huang Xiangmo decried Australia’s cancellation of his residency papers and dismissed allegations of influencing Australian politics on behalf of Beijing as “prejudiced and groundless.”
After living in Australia for eight eventful years, Huang was effectively expelled from the country last week, his application for citizenship denied and his passport revoked. Australian intelligence has long investigated him for wielding unhealthy influence over national politics with his enormous campaign contributions, most notably in the case of disgraced senator Sam Dastyari.
Termination of his permanent residency separated Huang from a huge portfolio of Australian real estate, including his extremely valuable home in Sydney.
Huang told the Global Times he was in residence at another of his houses in Hong Kong when his lawyer in Australia was notified of his residency cancellation by the Department of Home Affairs.
“The incident has had a huge impact on me and my family. Three generations of my family have lived in Australia for seven years. Apart from me, all those in the family are Australian citizens. The younger generation have studied, worked, married and had children there and just like other Chinese people in Australia, they have already been fully integrated. Australia is their home,” Huang said.
The real estate mogul said his business would obviously be affected by the change in his status, but noted his Australian holdings are only part of his family’s global investments, and his son Jimmy is effectively managing Australian investments in any event.
“I was no longer a shareholder or executive. I hold no positions or shares of the company,” he said. “It has always been my philosophy that if you decide to hand over a business, you have to give all of it so that the young people have every opportunity to thrive and I can fully focus on the strategic development of our global businesses.”
Huang insisted the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) has not accused him of breaking any laws or produced evidence of wrongdoing. He dismissed the allegations against him as “vague and groundless,” implying that his persecution is an example of Australian racism against Chinese people, unreasonable paranoia about the Communist Chinese government, or possibly even fallout from a “deep state” struggle for power within the Australian government.
Huang and his Global Times interviewer mocked the Australian government for regarding the “peaceful reunification of China” – by which they meant China seizing control of Taiwan – as a national security threat.
This led Huang into his notion that ASIO is attempting to undermine the foreign policy of Australia’s elected government:
I previously thought that any country’s intelligence agency, no matter how special it is, cannot go beyond the country’s government nor should it act against the country’s foreign policies in such an open manner. Australia established diplomatic relations with China in 1972 and has clearly stated a firm adherence to the one-China principle. Australia also has clear knowledge of the two countries’ differences in political systems.
If someone from the ASIO disagrees with Australia’s foreign policy, I believe there’s ample room for discussion and negotiation within the framework of Australia’s political system. However, it certainly should not be an act from a system that has claimed to have democracy and rule of law to abuse power and force its dissidence on vulnerable Chinese. If you treat Chinese in such a manner today, you would do this to the Jews and Arabs tomorrow and that’s the most dangerous thing.
“What I did not expect is that a system that boasts democracy and rule of law would allow some people from its intelligence agency to punish a permanent resident with groundless accusations and provoke the country’s foreign policy and international commitment in an open manner despite the fact that the resident has done nothing wrong,” he said.
Huang followed up by slamming Australian media for publicizing background information about him that he characterized as false and/or illegally leaked by Australian intelligence.
“If the ASIO really cares about Australia’s national security, it should have a thorough investigation about the sources of the media and investigate whether some of the reporters are suspected of serving foreign intelligence agencies apart from their actions of stealing classified information to gain attention and a spotlight,” he said.
Huang likewise denounced criticism of his extensive political donations as a media smear, conjuring up a conspiracy of corrupt reporters, think tanks, and “arms companies from a great power” to discredit him.
He said his political giving was partly a result of being a soft touch who is “not accustomed to saying no” when people ask him for money. He has, however, learned how to say “give back my money,” challenging Australian politicians last week to return his allegedly tainted donations so he can give the money to charity instead.
Huang accused the Australians of plotting similar politicized investigations against other Chinese or “anyone with other ethnic origins,” quoting a Chinese proverb that states “you can always find excuses if you want to punish someone.”
“My closeness with China is in accordance with law, reasonable and rational, and has no difference with other ethnic groups’ closeness to their home country. If Chinese are to be punished for their closeness with China, people from other ethnic groups could also be punished for their closeness with their own home country,” he predicted.
“I am a businessman with no interest in political ideology,” he insisted. “But I am also a Chinese who loves his ethnicity, his home country and also his new home where his offspring will live in the future. I hope to do my best to make Chinese better engaged with their new home and to construct a new home together with other ethnicities. That’s the fundamental reason I encourage Chinese to be engaged in politics and why I do so myself.”
Huang really poured on the charm in the final segment of his interview by describing Australia as a “giant baby” compared to wise old China, a characterization bound to ingratiate him with the Australian people:
China-Australia relations have always stumbled over the years. I think the root cause is that in a new era of international relations, Australia has not found a position that best meets Australia’s national interest.
The history of Australia has determined the innate characteristics of a giant baby. This is an objective fact and it does not mean Australia has to feel inferior. The growth of a giant baby takes time, and Australia still has a long way to go. I fully understand this. Australia is a beautiful country. The Chinese are one of the earliest builders of this country and a part of this country that cannot be separated.
The UK Guardian found some analysts willing to cut Huang slack for these comments by speculating the Global Times mistranslated or misquoted him, and he was actually trying to compliment the land Down Under as a rising power or “infant giant” rather than insulting it. This is rather difficult to square with him telling the Australians not to “feel inferior” because the “growth of a giant baby takes time and Australia has a long way to go.”
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