9 May 2019

China expert Anne-Marie Brady says she's still being harassed

1:56 pm on 9 May 2019

Prominent China expert and critic Anne-Marie Brady says she's still being harassed, with mail to her home and work being tampered with and stolen.

Anne-Marie Brady

Anne-Marie Brady Photo: RNZ / Jane Patterson

A police investigation came to a halt in February after Prof Brady reported a burglary and other incidents since publishing a paper on the influence of the Chinese communist party in the Pacific in 2017.

Police said in a statement today the investigation into Prof Brady's claims remained open, and was unresolved.

They said they would carefully assess any new information that came to light.

Prof Brady appeared before Parliament's justice committee this morning, as part of its inquiry into the 2017 general election and 2016 local elections - but which includes looking at foreign interference.

Read Professor Brady's full submission to the committee here.

Afterwards, she told reporters the harassment was still happening. She said she continued getting anonymous calls to her unlisted number, and her mail being tampered with.

Police were investigating her complaints, she said.

Prof Brady said the government "has to decide if it's willing to confront another government".

"This is not about me, this is about New Zealand's relationship with China and about ability to protect our citizens.

"The government needs to protect me and my family."

She said she was employed to research and teach Chinese politics, and she would continue to do so despite expecting the harassment and attempts to intimidate her to continue.

The government was taking her concerns "very seriously", she said.

Having the chance to talk openly at the committee about what was a sensitive topic gave her hope that a strategy would be agreed on to make New Zealand resilient, Prof Brady said.

China under President Xi Jinping had changed, she said.

Prof Brady's initial request to address the committee was turned down last month after four Labour MPs voted against it.

Committee chair Labour MP Raymond Huo said at the time the decision to block her was "purely procedural" as the deadline for submissions had past.

But he then backtracked and allowed her to submit.

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