Australia cancels residency of politically connected Chinese billionaire

A prominent Chinese billionaire political donor has been stripped of his Australian residency and barred from returning to the country after scrutiny of his Communist Party ties, media reported yesterday. Huang Xiangmo was reportedly left stranded outside of Australia after Home Affairs cancelled his permanent residency and rejected his application for citizenship.

The prominent property developer has donated millions to Australia’s two main political parties and been photographed with key figures including former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and opposition leader Bill Shorten. But he has come under scrutiny for alleged links to the United Front Work Department -- a Communist Party-linked body accused of neutralising opposition and buying political influence around the world.

Asked about Huang’s case, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would not comment on such “sensitive matters”, but added “the government has always acted consistent with the advice that we’ve received and that’s what has happened on this occasion.”