The Chinese Embassy has lashed out at a Kiwi professor who suspects foul play over a fatal crash involving Chinese activists travelling to Wellington to protest the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Canterbury University Professor Anne-Marie Brady, a Chinese politics expert, told a parliamentary committee on Thursday two of her friends, Yuezhong Wang and Weiguo Xi, died in a car crash on a highway near Tokoroa on Tuesday.
Brady said another friend of hers, pro-democracy activist Freeman Yu, was also involved in the crash and survived but is in a critical condition. She told MPs she suspects foul play and wants the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) to investigate.
"I do think the SIS should look into it," Brady told the Justice Select Committee. "They were on their way here to make a petition to Parliament to plead with you all to please take the issue of China's political interference in our democracy seriously.
"They had a petition in which they say how unsafe they feel in New Zealand, not just them personally but the Chinese-New Zealand community, and that they feel the full infiltration of the Chinese Communist Party in New Zealand and that they are experiencing pain and fear because of this.
"They say the CCP is fully involved in our elections, through its agents and through its funding, and through proxy agencies... I urge you to take it seriously."
The Chinese Embassy has responded to Brady's claims of Chinese "interference" in New Zealand in in a statement to Newshub.
"We oppose the behaviour of certain people to smear China by rampantly hyping up so-called 'Chinese interference' for their own gains," the statement said.
"They don't even have the readiness to know the facts or hear China's voice."
The Chinese Embassy said China is "committed to the path of peaceful development", and "developing friendly and cooperative relations" with other countries.
"These people are trying to politicize normal people-to-people engagement between China and NZ. This has undermined the momentum for China-NZ cooperation and will damage NZ's own image and interests."
Police told Newshub a "thorough investigation" will follow to find out what caused the crash.
- Huawei NZ conciliatory after UK ban
- PM Ardern's calling out of China proves NZ 'won't engage in master-servant relationship'
- China Ambassador Wu Xi warns New Zealand to stop prying into its 'internal affairs'
- Chinese ambassador warns NZ to keep out of Chinese politics
"An initial assessment of the scene indicates a northbound vehicle has crossed the centre line, glancing a southbound vehicle in the process before colliding head on with a third vehicle," a spokesperson said.
"Police can confirm we are investigating and will not be making any further comment at this time."
The Chinese Embassy is waiting for the outcome of the investigation before making further comment.
Labour MP Clare Curran told Brady Parliament is taking her concerns seriously.
"This committee does take the concerns that you've raised seriously. The fact that this matter is being discussed in a select committee should give you an indication of the seriousness with which we take it."
Brady has warned MPs before about what she's described as a foreign interference agenda by Chinese President Xi Jinping to bring the Chinese diaspora in New Zealand "under control".
She warned of a "concerted foreign-influence campaign" by the CCP in her 2017 paper Magic Weapons. It described the United Front, a CCP agency which aims to promote the policies and ideals of the CCP to control outside forces.
Her property was burgled in December 2017 and she suspected it was because of her paper criticising China. It sparked an outcry from academics around the world, who penned an open letter decrying China's alleged involvement.
