Australian senator to quit because of accusations of links with Chinese interests

Almaty. December 12. Silkroadnews - The Australian senator intends to resign because of accusations of lobbying for China’s interests, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported.
“Prominent Australian opposition Senator Sam Dastyari said on Tuesday he would resign from parliament after a series of allegations emerged about his links with Chinese-aligned interests in Australia,” the report said.
Relations between Australia and China have become strained after Canberra announced last week that it would ban foreign financing in politics to avoid external influence.
Announcing the ban, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull specifically singled out China, citing “disturbing reports about China’s influence.”
China’s state media called these accusations “racist” and “paranoid.”
Charges against Dastyari, the rising star of the center-left opposition party, came after local media reported that he had sought to encourage the deputy party leader not to meet with a Chinese democracy activist who opposed Beijing’s rule in Hong Kong in 2015. In addition, Dastyari allegedly warned the Chinese political sponsor Huang Xiangmo that his phone could be tapped.
“Today, after much reflection, I've decided that the best service I can render to the federal parliamentary Labor Party is to not return to the Senate in 2018,” Dastyari said.
Dastyari has already left some positions in the Labor Party after the videotape showing him standing next to Huang Xiangmo and supports the expansion of China in the disputed areas of the South China Sea.