According to The Advertiser, retiring Trade and Investment Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith and SA Government bureaucrats met senior managers of the Chinese company, Landbridge, last Sep\u00adtember, but no formal proposal has been made.<\/p>\n
Peter Jennings from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has told the paper the Port Adelaide site — close to where the $50 billion future subs will be built — would be of \u201cextremely high interest to Chinese intelligence\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith regard to the submarine construction, we really are talking about the jewel in the crown of sensitive technology,\u201d Mr Jennings told the paper.<\/h3>\n
\u201cThe port would also be of extremely high interest to Chinese intelligence, because they are actively out there looking for any advantage they can have in terms of intellectual property theft, to get it for themselves.<\/h3>\n
\u201cIf you have got something that is within visual range, that also means it is an area from which you can have a wide array of electronic eavesdropping technology used to gather data from the Osborne construction site. That would automatically put up a major red flag.\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Chinese company Landbridge at centre of Darwin Port security scare meets SA Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith in a play for SA\u2019s Flinders Ports. https:\/\/t.co\/i0hbXWxmZT<\/a><\/p>— The Advertiser (@theTiser) January 18, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote> \n