Former Australian Official Receives $880,000 a Year From China, Says He’s Not a Foreign Agent

Chinese state media runs article in his defense

Then Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb speaking at the G20 Investment Forum on July 19, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. The former Australian official is now embroiled in a controversy regarding his employment with a Chinese firm in which he receives $880,000 AUD a year. Nikki Short-Pool/Getty Images

Amid growing concern about China’s meddling in Australia’s political institutions, the country’s former trade minister is reported to have received AU$880,000 a year (around US$660,000) from a Chinese company closely linked to the Chinese communist regime, “even if he does nothing,” according to Australia’s Fairfax Media.

While the former official vehemently denies being a foreign agent, Chinese state media ironically have already come to his defense by prominently featuring his statements, lashing out at his critics and Australia’s new foreign interference laws.