One of China’s most powerful leaders has just visited Australia, but rather than it being a cause for celebration, human rights activists were horrified.
Jia Qinglin, the fourth in the chain of command in the Chinese Communist Party, spent six days in Australia last week meeting with the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, visiting Perth, Brisbane and Sydney to talk up trade.
While it was reported that Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd had raised human rights issues with Mr Jia, John Deller, spokesperson for the New South Wales Falun Dafa Association, said Mr Jia was a human rights criminal and should not have been allowed into the country.
“Not only is he allowed in, but he is given the royal treatment,” Mr Deller told The Epoch Times, noting that Mr Jia was even referred to as His Excellency in some of the media releases.
As a former Mayor of Beijing and secretary of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee, Mr Jia had been instrumental in implementing the torture, persecution and killing of Falun Gong practitioners in China in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Mr Deller explained.
“He is already identified as a criminal under the legal system in Spain and if he had flown to Spain, there is an arrest warrant there in the Spanish Court, so it is really disturbing that such a human rights criminal is allowed into Australia,” he said.
Falun Gong, a peaceful meditation and exercise practice, was much lauded by Chinese officials during the 1980s and 1990s, but when Government figures determined that an estimated 100 million people had taken up the practice, then-leader Jiang Zemin ordered a brutal crackdown.
Today, Falun Gong practitioners fear for their lives in China, many forced to leave and seek asylum in countries like Australia.
Trade
In Perth, he gave a speech to political leaders and members of the business community, including Channel Seven boss Kerry Stokes and Woodside CEO Don Voelte, reinforcing China’s commitment to a Free Trade Agreement.
He also met with WA Premier Colin Barnett, discussions reportedly centring on iron ore, the Oakajee LNG port project and direct flights between Perth and Shanghai, AAP reported.
In New South Wales, he was treated as the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by newly elected Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell.
Mr O'Farrell reminded the audience that China is not only Australia’s second-most important export destination and the largest source of imports, but also NSW’s major trading partner.
But trade was not on the minds of human rights activists who took to the streets to raise awareness of horrific human rights abuses in China.
United Front Department
They would have known what Mr Jia’s main role is in the Chinese administration. As director of the United Front Department, he is in charge of thwarting criticism and dissent both within China and abroad.
Those activities have been evident within China over the last six weeks with the detainment or disappearance of more than 30 lawyers, writers and activists, including the outspoken artist Ai Weiwei.
In Australia, the United Front is active though Chinese consulates, Chinese student associations and other Chinese community organisations.
Mr Deller said that Mr Jia’s department had served the senior cadre well during the recent visit, noting that crowds of flag-waving Chinese students and a huge bus were carefully positioned to block protesters across the road from Mr Jia and the media at the Shangri-la Hotel.
“They were obscuring our legitimate rights in raising awareness about human rights abuses that Jia has committed,” he said.
Trade was blinding many Australian office holders and business executives to well-documented human rights abuses occurring in China, Mr Deller said, and Mr Jia’s visit was clear evidence of that.
“Allowing a human rights criminal like Jia, or some of the other officials in the CCP who come to Australia, just to waltz around like ordinary visiting dignitaries is just totally unacceptable,” he said. “They are human rights criminals and they should be treated as such”.
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