In an interview, the outgoing US ambassador to Australia John Berry said that the US is "surprised" about China's influence in Australian politics. Berry's statement comes after Australian Labor Senator Sam Dastyari resigned from the opposition frontbench last week after admitting to taking money from an education company linked to China. However, he did not break any law doing so.

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"In our country it's illegal. It would be against the law for any foreign donation to be accepted by any level of government or member of the government," Berry said.

According to the BBC, Berry urged Australia to protect itself from excessive influence from "governments that don't share our values." He said that Australia should resolve its foreign donation issue. He expressed US objection over China's ability to fund politics in Australia.

CBS News reported that Berry's comments have been confirmed by the US embassy in Australia. Unlike in the US, where there is a ban on foreign donations, Australia does not differentiate between Australian and foreign donors. A bill seeking to ban foreign donations was advanced by Labor government in 2012. However, the bill never became law.

Last month, Australian Broadcasting Corp. stated that businesses with Chinese links donated more than AU$5.5 million to various political parties during the span of 2103 to 2015. The donations are said to be the largest from foreign sources. China is Australia's most important trading partner while the US is Canberra's strategic partner. 

TagsAustralia, Labour Party, John Berry, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Sam Dastyari