CHINA WANTS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INCLUDED IN NEW TRADE DEAL …. BUT UK’S MI5 SPY AGENCY RECOMMENDS CAUTION !
By Cliff Reece
China's ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian (see above) - in an apparent “gesture of friendliness” - has called for greater collaboration in fields like artificial intelligence (AI) under a revised free-trade deal between our two nations.
Remember, he’s the guy who told us we shouldn’t spend money on defence and that China’s massive build-up of its military in preparation for war is perfectly “normal”!
He’s now made it clear that China is planning to destroy the AUKUS agreement.
Because why would the USA and UK co-operate with Australia on advanced technologies - including AI – as proposed under Pillar 2 of AUKUS, when we would also be working in collaboration with communist China on the exact same technologies if this trade deal goes through on their terms?
It makes no sense – except to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Despite this, strengthening ties between Chinese and Australian artificial intelligence researchers will likely be on the agenda when Albanese is in China.
Albanese's visit to China comes as the Sino-Australian relationship appears to be improving under Albanese’s appeasement policy – following the strained relationship that existed under former Liberal PM Scott Morrison who had simply and reasonably requested a full investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
"China and Australia are natural partners with complementary economic strengths," Xiao wrote.
"Standing at a new historical starting point, now is the time to advance bilateral relations with steady progress."
The ambassador believes Albanese's visit marks an opportunity to broaden the terms of the 10-year-old free-trade agreement.
"We are willing to review the agreement with a more open attitude and higher standard, further consolidate co-operation in traditional areas such as agriculture and mining, and actively explore new growth areas in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, healthcare, green energy, and the digital economy, elevating practical co-operation to new heights," Xiao wrote.
Surely our government can see that the proposal to expand trade to include AI and digital technologies is simply a devious move on their part to create division between Australia and our closest allies, the USA and UK.
Allowing Chinese tech companies - which are all controlled by the CCP – to access the Australian market has been a problem in the bilateral relationship.
In 2018, then-Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull banned the Chinese tech giant Huawei from developing 5G infrastructure in Australia over concerns the Chinese government could force the company to hand over Australians' data or interfere with the network.
The decision prompted strenuous protests from China and was a factor behind a subsequent diplomatic fallout.
Our Assistant Trade Minister Matt Thistlethwaite - following the Albanese government’s policy of appeasement - said the government was merely seeking to strengthen access to China, Australia's largest trading partner.
However, it’s clear we need to be very wary of ‘communists bearing gifts’ and certainly take note of the UK experience, as outlined by their domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, MI5.
“The consequences of research being stolen in cutting-edge fields like Artificial Intelligence are not just for individual company's profitability but also for the future of western countries”, an MI5 spokesperson warned.
"These technologies are at a historic moment where they are beginning to change our world in some pretty fundamental ways.
"And we know that authoritarian states are laser-focused on the opportunities that these technologies may present for them."
“AI, in addition to the data collected by China, could even offer the chance to interfere with politics in a far more effective way”, MI5 warned.
Concerns over China were echoed by other members of the Five Eyes alliance comprising USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
China has made economic espionage and stealing others' work and ideas a central component of its national strategy and that espionage is at the expense of innovators in all five countries and elsewhere.
That threat has become more dangerous and more insidious in recent years.
Security experts in the UK also believe that their government is not putting Chinese agents and potential spies under enough scrutiny.
Are we doing any better in Australia? Find out by watching the ABC Four Corners documentary at:
UK experts say this lack of adequate surveillance creates risks not just for their national security, but also for their allies such as the USA and Australia. It could also damage relations between the Five Eyes allies.
We need to be very cautious regarding China’s true intensions and avoid being won over by their apparent friendliness.
Albanese – or ‘Handsome Boy’ as he is referred to in China – is naïve when it comes to international affairs. He views China as a friendly nation who we should co-operate with to the fullest extent.
He doesn’t accept that circumnavigating our continent with spy ships and conducting potentially dangerous live-fire exercises without prior notice is no act of a friend.
Nor is firing flares at our military aircraft or sending sonar pulses at our navy divers and injuring them in the process!
We need to monitor Albanese and his government’s actions on this issue very carefully and be prepared to stop anything that will jeopardise our nation’s future.
He is clearly entranced with Xi Jinping and the celebrity treatment he receives whenever he visits China. They are masters at fooling naïve visitors.
People who have dealt with communist China have learnt not to fall for their tricks.
Thanks to Australian Associated Press (AAP) and Johannes Leak for his cartoon