Bob Carr, its head and a former Labor premier of New South Wales, pooh-poohs the idea that China might be seeking to buy political influence through such gifts. 这家智库的领导者，前新南威尔士州工党总理鲍勃·卡尔（Bob Carr）对中国可能正在通过这些“礼物” 来寻求政治影响力这一想法不以为然。

　　Former politicians taking jobs with Chinese firms are another source of controversy. 一些前政客为中国企业工作则是争议的另一个来源。

　　Andrew Robb, a Liberal minister who negotiated Australia's free-trade deal with China,  安德鲁·罗伯（Andrew Robb）是曾与中国协商中澳自由贸易协定的自由党官员，

　　started working for Ye Cheng, a Chinese billionaire with extensive interests in Australia, after he left parliament last year. 在去年离开国会后，他开始为一位对澳大利亚有极大兴趣的中国亿万富翁叶城工作。

　　China is Australia's biggest trading partner and its second-biggest source of immigrants (after India). 中国是澳大利亚最大的贸易合作伙伴，同时也是第二大移民来源国（仅次于印度）。

　　Almost 160,000 Chinese students study in Australia; rich Chinese also see the country as a haven for investment. 近16万中国学生在这里留学，中国富人将这里视为投资天堂。

　　All this, argues Rory Medcalf of the National Security College in Canberra,  堪培拉国家安全学院的罗力·梅卡福（Rory Medcalf ）认为，

　　gives China's authorities a natural desire to influence Australian policy and in particular to weaken its ties with America. 这一切让中国想要影响澳大利亚的政策方针，尤其是弱化与美国的联系。

　　James Clapper, a former American intelligence chief now at the Australian National University,  前美国情报局局长詹姆斯·克拉伯（James Clapper）如今在澳大利亚国家大学工作，

　　sees “striking parallels” between Russia's meddling in America's politics and China's “potentially nefarious foreign interference” in Australia. 他认为中国对澳大利亚潜在的影响与俄罗斯对美国的政治干预有相似之处。

　　As well as supporting the proposed ban on foreign donations, Mr.Turnbull ordered a review of espionage laws earlier this month, to strengthen defences against foreign meddling. 除了支持禁止国外捐款的提议，特恩布尔在本月初还下令对间谍法进行审查，来加强对外国政治干预的防范。

　　John Fitzgerald of Swinburne University in Melbourne wonders if these moves will suffice. 墨尔本斯威本科技大学的约翰·菲兹杰拉德（John Fitzgerald）想知道这些行动最后会不会有效。

　　Australia's leaders, he says, have been “blind to risks” that come with closer commercial ties with China. 他说，澳大利亚领导人无视与中国的贸易联系越来越密切所带来的风险。