BOOK REVIEWS

Silent Invasion: ’s Yet while Hamilton generally speaks to the right Influence in people and asks the right questions, what he does not By Clive Hamilton actually produce is any official document or similar Hardie Grant Books, 2018, that sets out ’s intentions in anything like 356 pages, $34.99 the stark terms he describes. ISBN: 9781743794807 This is not to say Beijing’s influence in Australia is fictional or even that details of the secret plan or Reviewed by Dan Ryan campaign against Australia do not exist. (Given the sensitivity of the subject matter it is not surprising he central argument of Clive Hamilton’s Hamilton has not been able to obtain such a book Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in smoking gun.) Still it is worth bearing in mind when Australia is that ‘the Chinese Communist reading through the sometimes sensational content TParty (CCP) is engaged in a systematic campaign to in Silent Invasion that nothing is fully proven infiltrate, influence and control the most important regarding his key underlying claim—what he institutions in Australia’ (p.1). The ‘ultimate aim’ of has produced is essentially a compendium of this campaign, Hamilton claims, is to ‘break circumstantial evidence. Without having access to our alliance with the United States and turn this all national security information it is hard to weigh up country into a tribute state’ (p.1). the evidence presented. Again one wonders whether It is strong stuff. Indeed, the language is so there is some legitimate way our national security hawkish at times that one could be mistaken for agencies could find to inform the public debate thinking the book was written by John Bolton about the respective cases raised by Hamilton. (Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor) rather Hamilton says his aim in the book is to ‘describe than the founder and former head of the left-wing and document the unfolding process by which we Australia Institute. are being robbed of our sovereignty’ (p.3) and to The key question I kept asking though, when show how reading Silent Invasion, is what is the actual hard evidence Hamilton is relying on to demonstrate Australian institutions—from our schools, that the has planned and universities, professional associations to is directing the campaign he describes? our media; from industries like mining, As far as I could tell the only source of allegedly agriculture and tourism to strategic assets first-hand information for the above claims comes like ports and electricity grids; from our from Chen Yonglin, the former Chinese diplomat who local councils and state governments to defected to Australia in 2005. Through Hamilton, our political parties in —are supposedly confidential plans about Beijing’s being penetrated and shaped by a complex intentions for Australia are shared by Chen. I have system of influence and control overseen by not seen these same claims corroborated elsewhere. agencies serving the Chinese Communist If our own security agencies have this information Party (p.3). (or a view on its veracity) it would be very useful for debate in Australia if that could somehow find its This is also a provocative claim and there has been way into the public domain. considerable dispute since publication about the It is true that Hamilton speaks to many respected extent to which Beijing’s influence operations (which China experts, notably Professor John Fitzgerald (who exist even if they may not be exactly as Hamilton writes a short foreword to the book). There is also describes) are actually capable of infringing Australia’s heavy reliance on a doctoral dissertation of a New institutions or our sovereignty in a real sense. I think Zealand academic, James To, which details Beijing’s the debate here turns a great deal on precisely what policy towards its ‘overseas Chinese’ and how they is meant by the terms ‘institutions’ and ‘sovereignty’. might be used to achieve the Chinese Communist The example of Hong Kong is perhaps instructive Party’s foreign policy aims. here. Hamilton interviews Anson Chan, the well-

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regarded former first secretary of that former Clearly this Hong Kong-type ceding of political British colony (now a special administrative region sovereignty would be unacceptable in Australia—even of the People’s Republic of China). Her claims about if we could be assured our institutions and freedoms how the Chinese Communist Party has used its could be otherwise guaranteed. Yet even critics of influence in Hong Kong to ‘infiltrate, pressure and Beijing (and I count myself as one) would have to coerce institutions, from using money to control admit that it would be implausible that any kind of NGOs to suppressing dissident voices, placing political change could occur that would transform sympathisers on university boards, setting up clan the Australian Federal Parliament into something associations, controlling media and pressuring resembling Hong Kong’s current political situation. businesses’ (p.46) I have no doubt are true. At the very least, such a change would certainly not On the other hand one must also recognise occur silently. that the courts of Hong Kong still retain their A more likely scenario is that infiltration of professionalism and independence. By any objective Australian civil society by Beijing and our commercial measure a free press still exists—rambunctious reliance on China will make it more difficult Cantonese talkback radio hosts and aggressive (although not impossible) for Canberra to act, as tabloid journalists jostle with international it would otherwise wish to, as different pressures publications like the Wall Street Journal and both from the Chinese community and business Financial Times. There is also genuine freedom of interests with China ties in this country are brought religion—a sign saying ‘Jesus is Lord’ in Chinese to bear. lights up the neon skyline—something that would be inconceivable in Tiananmen Square. While Hamilton has been given a warm reception Well-known critics of Beijing like Professor on Andrew Bolt’s TV show and by several talkback Frank Dikotter (quoted in the final chapter of hosts on 2GB, there are many others on the Silent Invasion) still occupy prominent university conservative side of who cannot help but positions. I would also add that I served as a director be a bit sceptical about Hamilton given his past of a liberal market think tank in Hong Kong record. In one of his many books, Silencing Dissent: (The Lion Rock Institute) for many years and do not How the Australian Government is Controlling recall any direct threats to our independence from Public Opinion and Stifling Debate (co-authored Chinese Communist Party interests. with a director of GetUp!), he argued that the This suggests that while Beijing’s infiltration of, Howard government had ‘systematically dismantled or influence over, schools, companies and other democratic processes, stymied open and diverse elements of civil society is certainly possible and debate and avoided making itself accountable obviously undesirable, other institutions and to parliament or the community’.1 That sounds freedoms are more durable even deep within China’s a bit like claims he is now making about China sphere of influence. and in my view detracts from his credibility. It is of course possible that Beijing’s treatment of Equally, one can read statements he has made in Hong Kong would be different to that of Australia. the past as suggesting Hamilton has a less than full Hong Kong is not an independent nation and does commitment to free speech and democracy— not have its own foreign policy, so different issues particularly when it comes to the question of arise when it comes to questions of sovereignty. While ‘climate change’ about which he can be as dogmatic Hong Kong has a local parliament, Beijing selects as a Chinese Communist Party spokesperson a large proportion of its delegates and effectively defending the actions of the People’s Liberation controls the election of the head of the executive Army Navy in the South China Sea. branch. American aircraft carriers still routinely When I spoke to him in preparing this review dock in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, but this we had a very civil (off the record) conversation. In requires Beijing’s approval (which is sometimes my experience it is not that unusual for there to be capriciously withheld). a broad meeting of minds between the sections of

64 POLICY • Vol. 34 No. 2 • Winter 2018 BOOK REVIEWS the right and left—who might otherwise not agree Dan Ryan is a board on much—when it comes to China. He does not member of the Australia- really attempt to make any particularly domestically China Council. He has politically partisan points in the book. He even worked as a lawyer in recognises that ‘although prone to be dazzled by the Greater China for over economic promise, the right is more consistent in 15 years. The views its scepticism towards China’ (p.49) and at the expressed here are his same time is critical of many on the left’s ‘romantic own. attachment to the idea of the Chinese Revolution, despite the horrors of Maoist excess, not to mention the fierce repression of 1989 that continues Endnotes to this day’ (p.50). My experience certainly accords 1 See a review by Patrick Allington in The Australian (3 February 2009). with Hamilton’s when he says that ‘most China 2 Tim Soutphommasane, ‘Beware Fanning Flames of Racism apologists and appeasers sit at the soft centre of over “Silent Invasion”’, The Morning Herald (28 Australian politics’ (p.49). February 2018). While there are sections and statements that need to be further substantiated, Silent Invasion is a brave book—there are commercial and other Fair Share: Competing consequences for being critical of Beijing as Claims and Australia’s I know from personal experience, and it would be Economic Future easier just to be ‘positive and optimistic’ (as Bob By Stephen Bell and Michael Carr famously described his attitude to China). Keating Silent Invasion contains much useful information about Melbourne University potential threats. It is certainly right that there has to Publishing, 2018, $59.99 date been too much wishful thinking, naivety and (hardcover), 408 pages complacency when it comes to Beijing among many ISBN: 9780522872279 of Australia’s political and business leaders. One also instinctively wants to back someone who is unfairly Reviewed by Michael Potter attacked by Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane2 for ‘exciting an anti-Chinese ntrospection is the stock in trade of or Sinophobic racial sentiment’ when Hamilton is booksellers—where would they be without at pains in his book to avoid doing just that. Or to books providing both personal and national self- back an author who struggled to find a publisher, Ianalysis? Fair Share by Stephen Bell and Michael has a book launch boycotted by members of his Keating ensures this market continues to be well erstwhile allies from the Greens, and to add supplied. insult to injury is then criticised by members of The authors are of substantial pedigree: Bell Australia’s academic community who argued his is a Professor of Political Economy and Keating book itself threatens free speech. Give me a break. headed various government departments under I have no doubt that many reading this would the Hawke-Keating Labor Government. Given still vehemently disagree with Hamilton on a range their background, it is unsurprising that the book of issues. One likes to believe that that it is still takes a centre-left view of the world, fitting into the possible to share a common patriotism and dominant narrative of today. This is clear from the engage in civil dialogue on important subjects with praise for the book from Ross Gittins, John Edwards, fellow Australians despite our political differences. Saul Eslake and Laura Tingle. I suspect we will have much need of that type of spirit Fair Share is a lengthy book, discussing many of in the years ahead. the important problems facing Australia today including mediocre growth in wages, GDP and productivity, unaffordable housing, underemployment,

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