Via AFR:
The federal government has imposed tighter foreign investment restrictions on electricity assets and agricultural land, amid rising concerns about the influence of China.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has announced that should any electricity transmission or distribution assets be put up for sale, foreign investors will face more onerous restrictions in the name of national security.
Similarly, any foreign investor wishing to purchase agricultural land will need advertise and market the land to Australians first.
The infrastructure assets make sense if you consider China a strategic threat. But who cares about agricultural land? Let ’em have it. It can’t be shipped out or turned off and can always be nationalised later. That’s just Nats racism.
It’s much more important to prevent further Chinese takeover of residential land and property. If the value of that market becomes overly dependent upon the Chinese bid then the CCP has the Australian middle class by the short and curlies. The moral suasion would be incalculable!
