Chau Chak Wing

Chau Chak-wing (simplified Chinese: 周泽荣; traditional Chinese: 周澤榮; pinyin: Zhōu Zéróng; Sidney Lau: Jau1 Jaak6-wing4; born 1954),[2] is a Chinese-Australian property developer known for his Kingold Group, business based in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China (PRC).[3] He is a citizen of Australia, from Chaozhou, China,[4] and known for the $70 million purchase of the house of James Packer in 2015.[3]

Chau Chak Wing
Born1954 (age 65–66)
Guangdong, China
NationalityChinese-Australian
OccupationReal estate businessman
Net worth US$900 million (October 2018)[1]
TitleChairman, Kingold Group

Early life

Chau was born in Guangdong Province, PRC, of Chaozhou heritage[5], but emigrated to Hong Kong as a child in the 1970s. After further emigrating to Australia in the 1980s, he returned to live in Guangdong in 1988. Eight years later, he established the Kingold Group there.[6]

Media

In 2001, Chau joint-ventured with the Guangzhou, PRC, provincial government's Yangcheng Evening News to commence publishing the New Express Daily there.[7]

In 2004, Chau established the pro-Beijing The Australian New Express Daily (Chinese: 澳洲新快网), a simplified character Chinese-language newspaper published in Australia under the management of his daughter Winky Chow, a former ethnic policy affairs adviser to New South Wales State Premier Bob Carr.[8] Carr presided over its official launch.[7] The newspaper has engaged directly in promotion of Chinese Communist Party interests in Australia.[9]

Alleged bribery of UN official

Chau was named in an FBI investigation in the case of bribery of the former president of the United Nations General Assembly, John Ashe. The FBI alleged Chau paid John Ashe $200,000 in November 2013 via Sheri Yan, an Australian-Chinese suspected by Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) of Chinese intelligence activity on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.[10] Chau denied being a member of the Chinese Communist Party but is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, its foremost advisory body consisting of staunch loyalists.[11] Chau has also had documented ties to the United Front Work Department since at least 2007.[12] In February 2019, he obtained judgment in an action against Fairfax Media in New South Wales, establishing he had been defamed in The Sydney Morning Herald in a 2015 article about the affair.[13] Fairfax Media said it would appeal.[14]

ASIO investigation of Chinese influence and political donations

A joint Four Corners and Fairfax Media investigation claimed that Chau, among others, was the subject of a briefing by ASIO warning of Chinese government influence over the Australian political system.[15] In a follow-up media story in The Australian, Chau said that claims he was an agent of Chinese soft power were "irrational". He said successive governments since the Howard era had sought his help in promoting Australian interests in China, including being asked to lobby for Australia to win a $150 billion LNG deal with China in 2001: "In relation to Australian companies, if Australian businesses needed my assistance for development in China, I have been quietly helping them ... this has been recognised by the Australian government. I have promoted trade, Australia tourism, business and education without seeking personal gain or any favour in return. In fact it has been more a case of exercising Australian soft power in China."[16]

Donations

In May 2009, Chau, then still domiciled in Guangzhou, donated 3 million yuan to a PRC Public Security Bureau police training centre in order that society "be well managed".[7]

Chau undertook in 2010 to contribute A$20 million, in instalments over ten years, towards the A$150 million construction cost of the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building (completed in 2013), part of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), together with an ancillary A$5 million scholarship fund,[17][18] and, in 2015, another A$15 million for the construction of the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.[19] The museum is expected to open in 2020.[20]

Up to 2016, Chau, through his Kingold group, had donated a total of A$500,000 to the Australian War Museum and its Kingold Education and Media Centre was so named in recognition thereof.[21]

In the four years from 2014 to 2018, Chau donated about A$4 million to the two major Australian political parties.[22]

Honours

Chau received his first honorary doctorate from Keuka College, New York, United States.[7]

He was awarded another honorary doctorate by UTS in 2014, shortly after completion of the UTS building bearing his name.[6]

References
  1. "Chau Chak Wing". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  2. "Archived copy" 周泽荣详细资料. Phoenix Television. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "The billionaire who bought Australia's most expensive home". Financial Review. 2015-08-07. Archived from the original on 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2017-12-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Christensen, John Garnaut, Deborah Snow and Nic (2009-07-03). "Cool, calm and connected". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  6. "Dr Chau Chak Wing". UTS. 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. "Behind the mysterious Dr Chau". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  8. Han, Misa (13 June 2018). "Businessman Chau Chak Wing tried to build 'web of patronage'". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  9. Snow, Deborah (8 August 2009). "Tycoon denies crusade to 'dye Australia red'". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  10. "ASIO warns political parties over foreign donations". ABC Name. ABC News. 2017-06-05. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  11. Trigger, Rebecca (2017-06-10). "'Questions' over Chinese company donation to WA Liberals". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  12. Groot, Gerry (June 19, 2018). "Understanding the Role of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Associations in United Front Work". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  13. Bachelard, Michael (October 7, 2017). "One of Australia's biggest political donors has secret Beijing ties, court papers allege". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  14. McGowan, Michael (22 February 2019). "Chau Chak Wing wins defamation case against Sydney Morning Herald". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  15. "ASIO investigation targets Communist Party links to Australian political system". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2017-06-05. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  16. "Chinese billionaire hits back at ASIO: I'm not a communist agent". The Australian. 2017-06-27. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  17. "UTS receives $25 million gift". Probono Australia. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  18. "Gehry's vision gets NSW government approval". University of Technology. 20 Mar 2012. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  19. "$15 million donation to create new University of Sydney landmark museum". The University of Sydney. Archived from the original on 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  20. Xiao, Alison (24 May 2018). "University stands by donor amidst UN bribing scandal". Honi Soit. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  21. Whyte, Sally (24 May 2018). "Chau Chak Wing donated more than $500,000 to War Memorial". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  22. Power, John (30 September 2018). "Meet the Chinese businessmen making waves in Australia". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
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