Bruce Rock Engineering Managing Director, Damion Verhoogt and the Hon. Jim Chown MLC officiating the launch.

WA Liberal MP Jim Chown under fire over claims he referred to the Chinese as the ‘Jews of Asia’

A WA Liberal MP is under fire over claims he referred to the Chinese as the “Jews of Asia” during a parliamentary visit to the country organised by embattled telco Huawei.

The Weekend West understands Liberal Jim Chown, pictured, made the comments during a June 2015 meeting in Shanghai, as a group of WA MPs met senior representatives of Rio Tinto for a briefing on the company’s iron ore operations in China.

It is understood the WA MPs and Huawei representatives met the regional Rio Tinto executives and there was a brief discussion about the Chinese improving their contracting arrangements.

Mr Chown was said to have remarked to the room: “Oh, so they are the Jews of Asia then.” A witness said the room fell silent before a senior Rio representative awkwardly sought to change the conversation.

Read the article by Nick Butterly in The West Australian.