FIRB decision on APA could feed broader geopolitical tensions
Summary
FIRB has no doubt received the same anonymous documents sent to Chanticleer pointing out the fact that one of Hong Kongs power utilities, HKEI, is one-third owned by CK Group and one-fifth by State Grid. In 2016, then treasurer Scott Morrison used national interest concerns to stop CK Group and State Grid buying half of NSW electricity distributor Ausgrid. Fairfax Media journalist Peter Hartcher later revealed that the precise reason behind the Ausgrid decision related to the joint US-Australia military surveillance facilities at Pine Gap, near Alice Springs. He said Australias electronic spy agency, Australian Signals Directorate, had intervened to stop the takeover because Ausgrid hosts a piece of infrastructure that is a critical support to Pine Gap, which is central to US nuclear war-fighting capability. A global expert on geopolitics, Capital Groups Michael Thawley, tells Chanticleer that Australia must think of Hong Kong-based entities as being under the sphere of influence of the Chinese government.
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