‘Beijing is livid’ over ‘racist’ criticism from Australia

The latest in the growing Australian backlash to Chinese influence:

• Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull made the unusual move of speaking mandarin and quoting Mao Zedong (though the quote itself is somewhat apocryphal) to get across his point that the Australian people will “stand up” against Chinese influence, the Guardian reports.
• On December 11, the People’s Daily published a commentary (in Chinese) accusing Australian media of “hysterical paranoia” with “racist undertones.”
• Reuters Beijing reporter Christian Shepherd tweeted that “I suspect this will escalate fast. Several well-placed people in recent days have told me, without prompting, that Beijing is livid.”
• Turnbull called it “absolutely outrageous” that he or his government was anti-Chinese, the Australian ABC reported, and he alluded to his own daughter-in-law’s Chinese heritage as proof: “the proposition that someone whose granddaughter calls him Ye Ye [爷爷; paternal grandfather] is anti-Chinese is absurd.”

But it’s not just Australia that is seeing growing fear of Chinese influence:

• Josh Rogin reports in the Washington Post that “China’s foreign influence operations are causing alarm in Washington.”
• The Financial Times reports (paywall) that the New Zealand government is paying close attention and raising caution, as briefs prepared for the Prime Minister and security agencies head publicly advocated for “a wider dialogue with the public” about Chinese influence.

• Spying via LinkedIn?
  China denies using social media to infiltrate German politics and business circles / Deutsche Welle
• South-North Water Transfer Project
  World’s largest water diversion plan won’t quench China’s thirst / Bloomberg
• North Korea
  Fearing the worst, China plans refugee camps on North Korean border / NYT (paywall)
• Fallen leaders
  China opens criminal case against former rising star Sun Zhengcai on graft charges / SCMP
• Hong Kong
  Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters removed from outside legislature amid protest over house rules / Hong Kong Free Press
• Human rights
  German award for Ilham Tohti sheds light on China′s Uighur abuse / Deutsche Welle
• Surveillance
  No escaping Big Brother in China / BBC
• Taiwan
  China, Taiwan spar over Chinese diplomat’s invasion threat / Reuters
• Border tensions with India
  Beijing paper admits Chinese troops ‘camping’ on Doklam / Asia Times
• Evictions in Hubei
  Thugs attack demolition case lawyers in broad daylight / Sixth Tone