Published on October 17, 2019.
This article introduces an interview with Professor Clive Hamilton of Charles Sturt University, published in the international section of the Sankei Shimbun on March 22, 2018.
In his book Silent Invasion, Professor Hamilton warned that China “uses democracy to destroy democracy,” pointing to the reality of Chinese billionaires, entrepreneurs, universities, and political donations being used to influence Australian politics.
He also warned that the methods China used to interfere in Australia could be applied to Japan, and urged the Japanese people to recognize the threat.

October 17, 2019
The professor points out that Chinese entrepreneurs, either voluntarily or out of fear that their relatives left behind in China will face retaliation, “act as agents of the Communist Party.”
He stated that expanding the definition of “espionage” “may become a model for countries around the world.”
This is a chapter I published on March 27, 2018, under that title.
The following is from an article published on page 6, in the international section, of the Sankei Shimbun on March 22.
Japan Must Also Recognize China’s Methods of Intervention
Professor Clive Hamilton, Charles Sturt University
Professor Clive Hamilton of Charles Sturt University in Australia, who in February published a book warning of the Chinese influence penetrating Australia, responded to an interview with the Sankei Shimbun by the 20th.
In his book, the professor points out that China “uses democracy to destroy democracy.”
In the interview, he appealed, “The methods China used to intervene in Australia can also be applied to Japan. The people of Japan need to recognize the threat.”
Professor Hamilton’s book Silent Invasion introduces the reality that wealthy Chinese people who have immigrated to Australia have provided large amounts of money to politicians of both the ruling and opposition parties, as well as to universities.
It revealed the reality that the statements of such politicians and the research of such universities tried to guide policy in directions desirable to China on issues such as the South China Sea and free trade agreements (FTAs).
It also cast a suspicious eye on their relationship with the Communist Party, noting that these wealthy individuals had served as representatives of China’s national political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
The book was initially refused publication by the major publisher with which he had signed a contract.
This was reportedly because the publisher feared cyberattacks from China and lawsuits from Chinese citizens living in Australia.
After that, two other companies also turned it down, and it finally managed to be published.
In response, the British newspaper Financial Times criticized this as “self-censorship.”
The professor says, “Many Australians were shocked by the suppression of freedom of speech.”
The professor points out that Chinese entrepreneurs, either voluntarily or out of fear that their relatives left behind in China will face retaliation, “act as agents of the Communist Party.”
When Japanese companies increased their investment in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, “No one thought they were acting for the Japanese government. But China is not like that.”
For this reason, he expressed a sense of crisis that attempts by Chinese state-owned enterprises and their affiliated companies to acquire Australian infrastructure companies, such as electricity and port operators, are “the greatest security threat.”
On that basis, he argued that what is new about China’s interference in Australian politics is that “it does not violate existing laws,” and that “it undermines the operation of government and the values of democracy, and should be made illegal.”
He stated that the Turnbull administration’s move to legislate a ban on donations from foreigners and foreign companies, as well as an expanded definition of “espionage,” “may become a model for countries around the world.”
He also acknowledged concerns that legal revisions could invite economic sanctions from China, but emphasized, “In order to maintain national independence, economic pain must be accepted.”
Yasuto Tanaka, Canberra, photo also by the same reporter.