From The Australian:
Major Chinese developers with billions of dollars worth of local construction projects under way are planning to launch their own peak group, which will seek to argue the case for foreign investment and to have greater input into local approval processes.
The organisation, likely to be known as the Chinese Developers’ Alliance, will have anchor member companies including Dalian Wanda, Macrolink and Hailiang, with the three alone emerging as key players in the nation’s property development market.
…The new lobby group will follow the local model of the Property Council of Australia but with a focus on Chinese developers and Chinese investment.
“This will be a platform that Chinese developers can have opinions heard, and also help us to gain local recognition,” John Wei, managing director of Wanda One Sydney, told The Australian.
“But more importantly, we can help more Chinese developers to assimilate into the Australian market, succeed in their projects and therefore boost local employment.”
More Chinese developers are yet to debut in Australia and will potentially create more local jobs, according to Mr Wei, as they seek diversified earnings and growth out of their home market, which is under pressure from government tightening measures.
…The Chinese lobby group will also seek to have discussions with governments when they implement policies that may affect the companies. State governments in NSW, Victoria and Queensland hiked taxes on foreign home buyers earlier this year in a bid to cool the overheated market.
“They (the governments) may not fully understand the investment philosophy behind many Chinese buyers, and they can consult with us in that regard,” Mr Liu said. “I’m sure this would be beneficial for all parties.”
Can we, like, ban foreign political donations now?
Also from The Australian today:
A Chinese powerbroker at the centre of a political donations scandal, Huang Xiangmo, has moved to rally ethnic community support for controversial hate speech laws, sparking a political brawl and claims he could be trying to minimise scrutiny of China in Australia.
In an opinion article titled “18C is a bedrock of society” published in Chinese-language newspaper Sydney Today, the Chinese billionaire argued against winding back section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which restricts speech that insults and offends.
“If the hard-line advocates of free speech succeed in having section 18C of the act repealed major cracks could open in society,” Mr Huang said. “This is the last thing we need at a time when there is heated debate in many places around the world about such things as immigration, foreign workers and radical Islam.”
…Senator Leyonhjelm expressed concern that Chinese interests could use 18C to suppress opinions in Australia that were critical of China.
I support 18c, or have, until now.
