Former Liberal frontbencher and Vietnamese businessman Di Sanh Duong, who is also known as Sunny Duong, has been accused of attempting to influence the Australian government on behalf of the CCP. He is currently on trial after trying to get then-Immigration Minister Alan Tudge to allow a friend to travel to Vietnam. Duong had donated $37,000 to the Royal Melbourne Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Tudge coordinated a successful media-friendly event where Duong presented a novelty check for the donation.
Prosecutors claim that Duong, a former Liberal party member, has links to the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification and the CCP’s overseas influence body, the United Front Work Department. They also allege that Duong maintained regular contacts with CCP officials and Chinese intelligence officers, and attended United Front conferences in China around the time of the hospital donation.
The charges came after a year-long investigation by the AFP and ASIO’s Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce. If convicted of foreign interference, the maximum penalty is 20 years imprisonment. Duong, however, denies the accusations, arguing that the hospital donation was not an attempt to influence Tudge.
The case has drawn attention to the need for vigilance over CCP interference in Australia. The involvement of a high-profile suspected operative like Duong raises concerns and highlights the subtle ways foreign interference can occur around the world. The outcome of this case will be a significant test of the new anti-interference law in Australia.