BEIJING: As anti-China rumors have been sold by some Australian institutions, the way of the wise is to make clear the facts and do not let lies hijack China-Australia relations.
Recently, the Canberra-based Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) issued a report falsely accusing China of engaging in online interference into other countries’ politics.
This is not the first time that the ASPI has issued a China-related report, which is full of fallacies and ideological prejudice. Given the institution’s background and its sources of information, these so-called “academic achievements” are nothing but lies to stigmatize China.
Claiming itself as “an independent and non-partisan think tank,” the ASPI, in fact, has received long-term funding from foreign governmental agencies and arms industry giants. So it is actually a spokesperson for the anti-China forces behind it.
The information and opinions provided by the institute’s articles either came from some anti-China NGOs or some “eyewitness evidence” that cannot be proved or traced back. As an article from the Australian Alert Service said, “tracing back ASPI’s references reveals that relevant information is ignored, and sources are interpreted in extreme bad faith, or are misrepresented in a manner so misleading it can only be described as academic fraud.”
For quite some time, certain Australian institutions and media have fabricated anti-China fable and published false information. But facts gradually come to the surface.
An example is the Four Corners program of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). A story named “Power and Influence: The hard edge of China’s soft power” falsely claiming that China is posing stronger presence in Australia and trying to influence the country. However, an interviewee of the program Lupin Lu later lodged a defamation action against the program, saying the ABC had set out to “lure” her into doing the interview and the story was recklessly indifferent to the truth. – Agencies
