Kiwi Quisling

China "donations" throw New Zealand politics into turmoil 

National party leader Simon Bridges denies concealing cash from Chinese "businessman"

By Jamie Smyth in Sydney and Edward White in Taipei 

New Zealand's Sam Dastyari: Simon Bridges in parliament on Wednesday.

Simon Bridges and his agent handler Zhang Yikun

New Zealand has become the latest western nation to be engulfed in controversy over political "donations" made by Chinese "businessmen" with links to the Chinese Communist party. 

Simon Bridges, leader of the National party, on Wednesday denied allegations he had attempted to conceal a NZ$100,000 (US$65,900) donation by Zhang Yikun, a Chinese 'businessman' in Auckland. 

The allegations were reported to New Zealand police by National MP Jami-Lee Ross, who released a secretly recorded telephone conversation between himself and Bridges discussing a NZ$100,000 donation and the possibility of recruiting more Chinese as election candidates. 

The tape also contains disparaging comments made by Bridges against fellow National MPs. 

Mr Ross has alleged that Bridges asked Zhang to split up the NZ$100,000 donation to the party into smaller payments to ensure they would not have to be disclosed under New Zealand’s electoral law. 

Bridges’ actions amounted to electoral fraud. 

Under New Zealand election law donations above NZ$15,000 must be disclosed. 

Bridges rejected the claims on Wednesday.

“Jami-Lee Ross, in this conversation, deliberately tried to set me up,” said Bridges. 

He confirmed he had attended a dinner in May with Zhang where the donation was discussed. 

Grant Duncan, a political commentator in New Zealand, said the link between the dinner, the donation and the discussion about more Chinese candidates raised questions over Chinese influence in New Zealand politics. 

He said the tape would prove damaging to Bridges’ leadership. 

Anne-Marie Brady, a professor at University of Canterbury, said Zhang’s associations were typical of the United Front Work Department, which is a branch of the ruling Communist party. 

Zhang was born in Guangdong, southern China, and served in the Chinese military before moving to New Zealand in 2000, becoming a prominent businessman and leader of the Chinese community in Auckland. 

He has kept close ties with the Chinese government. 

From 2013 to 2016 Mr Zhang was a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of Hainan, an advisory body to the Chinese government, according to a Chinese government website. 

In August this year he attended a meeting of expatriates and returned overseas Chinese in Beijing — an event also attended by Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Qishan and other senior Chinese Communist party figures, according to local media reports. 

Last month in New Zealand Zhang was awarded a prestigious national honour for his services to the Chinese community and business ties between the two countries. 

Among the achievements cited by New Zealand’s governor-general was his founding of the Chao Shan General Association, an organisation focused on the Chinese community in New Zealand. 

The Australian arm of the Chao Shan organisation was considered by two academics in Australia to be part of China’s United Front network in that country, according to their submission to the Australian parliament in 2018. 

Zhang could not be contacted for comment. 

Jian Yang, most famous Chinese mole in New Zealand