Chinese Communist party officials are investigating people and assets in New Zealand, the Financial Times reports.
The newspaper says the wife, mistress and at least one associate of Cao Jianliao, the detained former vice-mayor of Guangzhou, are the subjects of a Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) investigation.
The FT says this is despite all of them, as well as Cao’s child, being based in New Zealand and at least one of them being a New Zealand citizen. The newspaper says Tan Bingzhao, a New Zealand citizen and prominent Guangzhou property developer, is alleged to have paid "huge" bribes to Cao and his relatives to buy land cheaply and win contracts.
The FT says New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Police claimed no knowledge of any CCDI investigation inside New Zealand.
However, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told the FT both agencies were aware of the CCDI request and Chinese officials had sought access to interview Cao’s relatives and associates in New Zealand.
Cao was detained in 2013 with state-controlled media reporting lurid details of his alleged corruption and philandering.
The FT says human rights groups have frequently accused the CCDI of torture and inhumane treatment of suspects. The CCDI reports directly to the Communist party and doesn't answer to courts or police. The CCDI has established a dedicated office to investigate allegedly corrupt officials who have fled or sent relatives and assets overseas in an operation named “Fox Hunt 2014”.
The FT cites figures from the US-based non-profit group Global Financial Integrity, which estimates illegal money flows out of China reached US$2.83 trillion between 2005 and 2011.
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The FT says New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Police claimed no knowledge of any CCDI investigation inside New Zealand.
However, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told the FT both agencies were aware of the CCDI request and Chinese officials had sought access to interview Cao’s relatives and associates in New Zealand.
How are Kiwis meant to draw rational conclusions given NZ civil authorities' stock response of see nothing, no nothing when confronted with an opposite civilian claim?
The OIO failed to keep access open. OIO appears to just be a rubber stamp operation.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/10506841/Flock-Hil…
There's more on this from the FT including news of a meeting National Party president Peter Goodfellow had with the CCDI deputy party secretary in Beijing, and Russel Norman weighing in saying;
"The NZ Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Prime Minister’s office need to tell the public of New Zealand what, if any, access we are willing to allow the Chinese Communist party to New Zealand residents,” Russel Norman, co-leader of New Zealand’s opposition Green Party, told the Financial Times. “Allowing this to happen would be like giving the KGB access to expatriate Russian citizens during the cold war.”http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a90c00e8-3d70-11e4-8797-00144feabdc0.htm…
The journalist who wrote the FT story has also just been on Radio NZ's nine to noon.
Opps;
Because the CCDI is a party body, communication between it and the New Zealand government appears to have been conducted mostly through the country’s governing National party, which faces a general election on Saturday.
On November 1 2013, Peter Goodfellow, president of the National party, met Chen Wenqing, CCDI deputy party secretary, during a visit to Beijing.
Mr Goodfellow told Mr Chen he “greatly admires” the Chinese Communist party’s achievements in anti-corruption and said the National party was willing to “engage in concrete communication and co-operation” with the CCDI, according to a CCDI record of the meeting.
Mr Goodfellow told the FT he has “no role in facilitating investigations” and “any general expressions of goodwill made during an overseas visit must be taken in that context”.
Yeah right!!!! - is the PRC the only bulk buyer of WMP?
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