China recruits Australian scientists

[Bobby]

China recruits Australian scientists and academics
to secretive research program

23/08/2020 11min

https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6183768238001


Sky News host Sharri Markson says the Chinese government is recruiting Australian scientists and academics to a secretive research program called the Thousand Talents Plan by offering lucrative incentives.

Ms Markson said the program obliges its recruits to abide by Chinese law and religious practice and requires their inventions be patented in China, but offered recruits profitable salaries and additional perks such as tuition for their children, jobs for spouses, housing subsidiaries and international travel.

The Chinese Government had managed to recruit an estimated 7,000 people globally under the Thousand Talents Plan, she said.

Executive Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Peter Jennings said under President Xi Jinping's civil-military fusion, the Thousand Talents Plan was helping China develop weapons and advance its military.

“A lot of this work is essentially being militarised by Ji Xinping, taking the work of Chinese institutions and applying it to the interest of the PLA and China’s intelligence services so what was perhaps acceptable in the 9-0’s and early 2000’s now becomes a big strategic problem in the 2020s because of how China is treating those researchers and using that information,” Mr Jennings said.

Ms Markson said most of Australians universities she had approached were unable to say how Many Thousand Talents recruits they had in their staff.

She added it was likely the Morrison government was also unaware of the extent of this Chinese government overreach.

“If the universities themselves don’t know how many thousand talents plan or other Chinese government recruitment program recipients they have in their employ, there is no way the Australian government has the oversight of how many academics and scientist have been recruited,” she said.

Sharri Markson's exclusive investigation into the Thousand Talents Plan will be detailed in Monday's edition of The Australian.

[Bobby]

It will be big news tomorrow from The Australian
with 30 scientists named.

What if it's military research?
That would be against the law yet Australia
wouldn't know as it's secret.

[Bobby]

Looks like ScoMo will do something about it:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... with-china



Coalition to introduce laws to prevent Australian governments and universities making ‘detrimental’ deals with foreign powers.

Coalition to pursue power to block deals such as Victoria's belt and road agreement with China.


The new law the government is proposing would cover state or territory entities, including departments, agencies, local governments and universities established under state or territory law.

If the bill passes the parliament, within six months of the legislation taking effect governments and public universities will have to notify the commonwealth of their existing agreements with foreign governments.

Under the new procedures, state governments will have to notify the commonwealth of their intention to pursue an agreement with a foreign government. The foreign affairs minister will either approve or reject the proposal.

Even if the arrangement is approved initially, the foreign affairs minister will retain the power to revoke that approval subsequently. According to government briefing materials, the legislation will give the commonwealth power to terminate any private contracts and other agreements flowing from the main agreement.

Universities will not be required to seek approval before negotiating or entering into arrangements. But according to the federal government, they will need to notify the foreign affairs minister before entering into an arrangement with foreign governmental entities and Canberra will be able to cancel agreements it finds objectionable.

Australian universities have entered into a range of innovation and technology sharing agreements potentially caught by the new law, predominantly with China, but also with India, Iran and Afghanistan.

[Redneck]

Good move, certainly not before time!