Screenshot of ASPI's profile page on social media platform X. (Xinhua)According to ASPI's 2020-2021 annual report, out of its total revenue of more than 10 million Australian dollars (6.3 million U.S. dollars), 18.3 percent came from overseas government agencies. The U.S. government emerged as the largest foreign donor, with most of its contributions explicitly earmarked for disinformation campaigns against China.by Xin PingAs the impact of the recent funding freeze of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is still playing out, now is time for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) to moan in agony.In early February, Bethany Allen, a key ASPI member, posted multiple "distress letters" on the institute's official website and her personal social media account, condemning the U.S. government's "funding freeze."Her remarks shattered the facade of ASPI as an "academic institution advocating for justice," exposing a long-standing pattern of "data manipulation" by Western media and think tanks, especially ASPI itself, in framing China-related issues.SUSPICIOUS DONOR NETWORKAllen lamented that the U.S. decision put NGOs and networks that had been feeding her with anti-China information in existential threats, with dozens of non-profits thrown into chaos and faced with suspensions, layoffs or closures.She was crying out loud for the NGOs, but what she did not mention was ASPI's own suspicious donor network under its self-claimed "independent, non-partisan" banner.According to ASPI's 2020-2021 annual report, out of its total revenue of more than 10 million Australian dollars (6.3 million U.S. dollars), 18.3 percent came from overseas government agencies. The U.S. government emerged as the largest foreign donor, with most of its contributions explicitly earmarked for disinformation campaigns against China: A grant of some 985,000 Australian dollars (623,562 dollars) funded ASPI's work to smear China on issues including Xinjiang, human rights, technology and global influence. Another grant of 590,000 Australian dollars (373,504 dollars) targeted China's talent programs, social media discourse and the technological sector. Combined, these two grants accounted for 80 percent of ASPI's foreign government funding.What kind of independence could one expect from an institute with such a donor network?Screenshot of an article by Bethany Allen, a key ASPI member, published on the organization's website. (Xinhua)PROPAGANDA MACHINE DISGUISED AS ACADEMIAASPI's mask of academic institute was already crumbling from within even before the USAID decision, and the abrupt funding withdrawal has only plunged the institute into a further systemic crisis.Its so-called in-depth reports and research on China are built on sand. A closer scrutiny would clearly show that under the guise of academic research, ASPI systematically manufactures falsehoods targeting China. Its most often used methodology -- presetting conclusions and cherry-picking evidence -- is anything but academic.In one of its reports on Xinjiang, vocational education and training centers are distorted as "reeducation camps," and retirement homes are falsely labeled as "detention centers."Another report maliciously lists 92 Chinese universities as "high-risk" institutions, warning Australian universities against collaborating with them. The list includes nearly all of China's top-tier STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and comprehensive universities, framing normal academic exchange as support for China's "human rights abuses."Even the Australian government noted something had to change. A government report released in December 2024 pointed to ASPI's misuse of funds, and recommended halting funding for ASPI's Washington D.C. office and subjecting national security research grants to competitive reviews every five years.The report revealed the think tank's true colors and effectively marked the end of ASPI's two-decade-long "privilege" to attack China.AMERICA'S STRATEGIC ENFORCERASPI's obsession with smearing China has led many to realize it is just a geopolitical tool or lackey of Washington. To quote the words of former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, the institute has been pushing a "one-sided, pro-American view of the world."It has long portrayed China as Australia's "top strategic threat" and advocated decoupling from China. In the name of "maintaining the rules-based international order," ASPI is poisoning political and trade relations between the two countries, undermining mutual trust and understanding between the two peoples, and eroding a key foundation for the stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.Guess who benefits most from this?ASPI coordinated with the U.S. Congress to amplify anti-China narratives. Its false claims about Xinjiang's "reeducation camps," "forced labor" and "human rights abuses" provided ammunition for the passage of the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by the U.S. Congress. U.S. lawmakers packaged ASPI's data as "independent think tank research" to legitimize sanctions on China. A propaganda chain was hence created, linking ASPI reports to U.S. media hype and then to congressional legislation.Cloaked in academic legitimacy, ASPI peddles ideological manipulation. Feasting on "anti-China dividends," it willingly serves as a hegemonic enforcer. Its goal is not to seek truth but to fracture trust and manufacture confrontation. Its reports are not scholarly outputs but loyalty pledges to its foreign donors.By stripping away ASPI's disguise, the world can now see clearly the shadowy hands hiding behind the veneer of a so-called "think tank."Editor's note: Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News Agency, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN, etc. He can be reached at [email protected] views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency.