Sam Dastyari's South China Sea support is a big deal and a timely warning

Sometimes a little money can go a long way. The sum of $1670 seems inconsequential at first, like those rocks and reefs whose ownership is disputed by China and its neighbours in the South China Sea. Yet when a Chinese business agreed to pay that amount to cover Labor Senator Sam Dastyari's personal travel debt, it presumably did not expect the effect would be so profound. The worthy venture of building an Australia-China relationship of mutual trust and respect has been harmed. Imagine how Beijing would react if entities linked to a powerful foreign government were paying travel and legal bills for rising stars in the Chinese polity.