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Hong Kong-Born Australian Lawmaker Faces Probe into Links to Chinese
Communist-Backed Groups

Phil Mercer

   SYDNEY - The first Chinese-born woman to sit in the lower house of
   Australia's federal parliament is under a sustained attack for failing
   to disclose her membership in organizations linked to China's Communist
   Party.

   There are claims Gladys Liu had connections with senior figures in
   Beijing's covert political propaganda apparatus, which have raised
   questions about her eligibility to sit in the Australian parliament.

   The lawmaker has admitted being a member of the China Overseas Exchange
   Association between 2003 and 2015, which at the time was part of
   China's powerful State Council, the Chinese government's central
   political and administrative body. The Hong Kong-born politician says
   her membership was entirely innocent, and has denied any conflict of
   interest. She said she is "a proud Australian."

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